Quote:
Originally posted by big-ban
As opposed to your findings, I guess I forgot to mention but I sometimes have the feeling the treble of my HD650's is somewhat disturbingly recessed, not very transparent and clear. It might be just some recordings as for some it's ok. But this may be one point of criticism at my current setup. |
This
may be the case -- a soundcard as source is always a bit suspect.
On the other hand it could be that your sonic perception expects a bit more treble energy from a headphone to make it sound natural. And thirdly, the upper end of the HD 650 is indeed
very slightly recessed (but at the same time very extended!), otherwise the whole balance is extremely even to my ears and almost without equal.
Quote:
| I've been thinking about getting an Oehlbach Cable but I'm still not sure if it's worth the improvement over the stock cable. As you seem to have both cables, how big is the difference between them actually? |
It's absolutely worth its price -- which is ridiculous compared to the main contenders (ZuCable, Moon Audio, Equinox) anyway. Compared to the stock cable there's more brilliance and treble and an expanded soundstage (even surpassing the Zu Mobius'), and throughout the frequency range the presentation is
smoother and more transparent. Despite the clearer treble, the high end is slightly rounded -- in a very ear-friendly way, but also not entirely in favor of an organic, accurate reproduction of instrument timbres/overtones, but slightly in the form of a «hi-fi sound». All in all a very musical, flowing presentation and a clear improvement over the stock cable, with a big thumbs up for the spectacular soundstage.
The Zu Mobius is still another caliber. It offers more overtone information than the other two cables, the upper treble is more focussed and a bit louder too. It offers the same smoothness as the Oehlbach, but not in a rounding way, and thus provides greater accuracy and naturalness. Its price seems a bit high compared to the Oehlbach, which offers ~45% of the Zu's sound-quality increase, but there's the reality of the diminishing returns. It is to say that the Oehlbach has a more forgiving character than the Zu, and that's the reason I'll use it with my Archos Jukebox, although the Zu (with Senn 1/4" to 1/8" adapter cable) is still a bit better there as well.
Quote:
I'm currently using a Y-cable to use both of my headphones at the same time and be able to compare them. I did however not notice any improvement when plugging the headphones directly into my soundcard out. It seems the Y-cable doesn't degrade the sound much. Will the difference be more noticable once I'm using a better aftermarket cable?
Then I'm also thinking if the adapter for the small headphone jack (3,5mm?) will degrade the Senn sound as well. The Stock cable has the big connector (6,3mm?) which fits into the headphone-out's of standard hifi-equipment, so I'm forced to use the adapter to be able to use them with my soundcard. How about the Oehlbach Cable? Will it be shipped with an adapter or will I be forced to use the standard Senn adapter as well? Will this adapter be neutralizing the benefitial effect the Oehlbach cable provides as it might be of a lesser quality? |
I had to use the adapter with the Archos (which is a fairly revealing source for this purpose, believe me!), and the sound was nevertheless great and clearly better than with the stock cable. Meanwhile I have soldered a 1/8" plug onto the Oehlbach (always an option, also in your case!) -- without any obvious difference, despite the already reduced length. While I'm typing this, I'm listening to the Oehlbach/Archos combo, and it's really fun.
If you think the HD 650's treble is too recessed, try the Oehlbach; if you still think it is, order the Zu Mobius! If this doesn't help, consider a really good source!
BTW, it's a bit dangerous to have the DT 880 (with its pronounced treble) as a benchmark when it comes to the sonic balance. If possible listen to the HD 650 over a longer period without switching back!
