[sp70]

I've heard so many varying opinions. I'm stuck with the basic flimsy HD600 cable and wanted to know if those $200+ cables out there really make that big of a difference? I have a modest setup, but i'd hate for this thin cable to be my bottleneck.
 
Would the (cheap!) upgrade to the HD650 cable bring any improvement? Or am I best saving for something like the Stefan Equinox or the Cardas cable?
 
These are all rather pricey for someone on a limited budget as I so I suppose what i'm saying is would I be wasting my money for a minute upgrade or is this the real deal? I've read quite a few reviews of the various upgrade cables and it either seems like they "sounded the same, I returned them" or it was "night and day difference, worth twice the price I payed!"
 
How do you think i'm best off spending my money in this matter? Should I upgrade to the HD650 cable for ~$16, not upgrade at all, or save my cash for one of the more pricey options mentioned above?
 

 

[sp70]

Anyone? I'd love some speculation.

 

[fjf]

Not worthit.  Get a different headphone if you want a change.  The cables thing is just voodoo.

 

[Lenni]

I don't have much experience with HP's re-cabling, but having experimented with various speaker & interconnect cables I know it's a matter of either make or break a system.
 
if I had a HP I enjoyed sound of, and was comfortable with, I'd most definitely re-cable them.
 
personally I wouldn't bother with either the HD650 cable or Cardas. the Stefan Equinox seems ideal, or you may wanna consider the Zeus
 
as for the "big" difference in sound depending on cables you may get more bass weight/resolution, highs, details, soundstage, more open, clear sound etc. - it's not much a case of the cable adding sound, but letting the sound flow better
 
 
PS: beware of the sage comments and their wise-ass reasoning  that you're better off upgrading the HP's ... lol

 

[KingStyles]

While a cable can make a difference in some instances, you will get more change and sound quality increase by applying that money to a new dac, amp, or cd player/computer. I wouldnt worry about the recables untill you have your source, transport, and amp squared away and then if you dont mind spending large amounts of money compared to the small increase in sound quality then knock yourself out. By the way, the cable should never be worth more than your amp, dac, or source, it would be a waste of money.

 

[minimus]

Aftermarket cables can change the sound signature of a headphone, but not always in a positive way.  For example, I bought a Stefan Audio Arts Equinox cable for my HD650s and I thought it sounded worse than the stock cable.  It made the HD650s sound way to bright for my taste, emphasizing the upper frequencies and truncating the lower frequencies.  

 

[fjf]

Just a placebo effect (in which the buyer believes sincerely), directly related to the cost of the voodoo cable in question.  No human can differenciate thick enough cables.  If you use 20 micron cables to start with, then you can improve.

 

[kickassdude]

Keep the money. 200 dollar cables are pure scam, don't buy it.

 

[Draca]

See the link in my sig for why some people _think_ cables make a difference but in reality don't.

 

[Lenni]

 
I really could use something like this right now... 

 

[Lenni]

 
Quote:

See the link in my sig for why some people _think_ cables make a difference but in reality don't.

 

Just because you, little english peasant, don’t hear a difference doesn’t mean everybody is the same.  There’s more to cables that you will never know or understand. Saying things like all cables sound the same, or is only a placebo effect is, a) pure ignorance, and b) laughable.
At the end of day it doesn’t matter what you think. what matters is that I do, and lucky for me there are a whole bunch people who do too. And some of these people (bless their souls) will dedicate a considerable amount of time, effort, and resource into improving cables, and other related gear for our better sound experience.
 
Go play with cows instead of trolling around hi-fi forums with annoying nonsense.douche 

 

[sp70]

Now, lets keep this thread civil folks, we would hate to let what could be a sensible debate break down into name calling.
 
I appreciate both sides of this, and am thankful for the varying amount of opinions.
 
As it would appear there is such a stark difference in views, i've decided to simply see for myself. The natural upgrade (and only one my wallet will currently allow) seems to be the HD650 cable, which i'm told will at least be a decent improvement over my stock HD600 one. I've gone ahead an ordered it and hope to receive it in a week or so. I hope to be able to draw my own speculation from this experience so I can weigh in better on the subject.
 
Once again I appreciate everyone's posts thus far, and would love for this discussion to continue but please let us at least be mature about it. sp70.

 

[KingStyles]

 
Quote:

Now, lets keep this thread civil folks, we would hate to let what could be a sensible debate break down into name calling.
 
I appreciate both sides of this, and am thankful for the varying amount of opinions.
 
As it would appear there is such a stark difference in views, i've decided to simply see for myself. The natural upgrade (and only one my wallet will currently allow) seems to be the HD650 cable, which i'm told will at least be a decent improvement over my stock HD600 one. I've gone ahead an ordered it and hope to receive it in a week or so. I hope to be able to draw my own speculation from this experience so I can weigh in better on the subject.
 
Once again I appreciate everyone's posts thus far, and would love for this discussion to continue but please let us at least be mature about it. sp70.

That is the smartest thing you can do. Decide for yourself. The sides on this subject are very divided. I have heard both. I have heard it make a difference and I have heard it not make a difference. Just keep a open mind and be prepared to not hear a difference as much as you want to hear a difference.

 

[wnewport]

My hd580 sounded the same with hd650 cable.
 
With that said, a nice pair of bookshelf speakers was the best headphone upgrade I ever bought.

 

[Trysaeder]

Quote:

 


Just because you, little english peasant, don’t hear a difference doesn’t mean everybody is the same.  There’s more to cables that you will never know or understand. Saying things like all cables sound the same, or is only a placebo effect is, a) pure ignorance, and b) laughable.
At the end of day it doesn’t matter what you think. what matters is that I do, and lucky for me there are a whole bunch people who do too. And some of these people (bless their souls) will dedicate a considerable amount of time, effort, and resource into improving cables, and other related gear for our better sound experience.

Go play with cows instead of trolling around hi-fi forums with annoying nonsense.douche 

Fixed.
By the way, next time you think of buying a $1800 cable, why not settle for a $900 one and give me the other $900? You get more happiness from giving.