[skeptical]

I tried my z5 with fiio lc-re cable to get to 200 mw of my zx507 4.4 output.
sub-bass is magnificent! cable was on sale $170 instead of 210.
however, it has issues with left connection with z5. not stable sound. and it was extremely hard to connect/disconnect left earphone.
with R it's ok. but left.. sony mmcx socket is big, fiio body of mmcx plug is small.
z5 stock cables have additional puzzles to connect mmcx in correct position.
therefore I've ordered this adapter today. $37.5 for 50 sm long. copper cover with silver. ataaudio on aliexpress.
moon audio offered me to make similar adapter for $165...

how will u change the plug to balanced if zx90ex had only L+ R+ and Ground?
or u know it had L+ L- R+ R-?
by the way, what will happened if u push more than 200mW into xb90ex?
I had next experience with hifi ananda and mdr 1Am2, when I pushed volume above ~110-114(EQ subbass and bass freq maxed), zx507 automatically turned bass volume down.
thus to reach the maximum impact of bass, u need to turn down the voulme to ~100 and then go up to 108-112. not exceeding this lvl.

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with this adapter but I know for sure 100% , you can not directly through adapter connect a 3.5mm jack to 3.5 female > balanced 2.5mm male. Doing that you will burn your source amplifier. I'm not sure about balanced 4.4mm pin mapping and what this adapter is intended for.
Pin mapping for balanced 2.5mm starting from the tip is R-R+L+L-
The common ground most of the time is after Y splitter going to the 3.5 mm jack, so all you have to do is to cut xb90ex cable above the splitter and solder +and- to a female mmcx connector for each earphone and then connect to them whatever cable you have, with any type of jack.
If you're looking for the most subbass and not shrilling highs, you need true 6n or 7n high purity copper cables without any sort of silver or cable hybrids. The true balanced 7n high purity copper(9.999999) is very expensive so I went with 6n.
The mmcx connectors are very cheap on aliexpress, the best is to buy the females and males from the same store, then they will fit well.
That's why many bassheads have certain amplifiers with a separate dedicated bass knob. When you turn the knob on, it starts feeding with power only the low frequencies without messing around with others. Equalizers are not as accurate and effective.
If you like me and you don't like to carry many devises with you try not to rise up the eq freq. instead cut them down, its way more effective, but doing it will requires more amp. power in order to get to the same loudness because when you push freq down you have a lower volume altogether, too.
It's hard to say how much power is too much. I think xb90ex can easily handle up to 300mw with eq cut down, may be even more than that. It's yet to be determined.

 

[sander93]

I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with this adapter but I know for sure 100% , you can not directly through adapter connect a 3.5mm jack to 3.5 female > balanced 2.5mm male. Doing that you will burn your source amplifier. I'm not sure about balanced 4.4mm pin mapping and what this adapter is intended for.
Pin mapping for balanced 2.5mm starting from the tip is R-R+L+L-
The common ground most of the time is after Y splitter going to the 3.5 mm jack, so all you have to do is to cut xb90ex cable above the splitter and solder +and- to a female mmcx connector for each earphone and then connect to them whatever cable you have, with any type of jack.
If you're looking for the most subbass and not shrilling highs, you need true 6n or 7n high purity copper cables without any sort of silver or cable hybrids. The true balanced 7n high purity copper(9.999999) is very expensive so I went with 6n.
The mmcx connectors are very cheap on aliexpress, the best is to buy the females and males from the same store, then they will fit well.
That's why many bassheads have certain amplifiers with a separate dedicated bass knob. When you turn the knob on, it starts feeding with power only the low frequencies without messing around with others. Equalizers are not as accurate and effective.
If you like me and you don't like to carry many devises with you try not to rise up the eq freq. instead cut them down, its way more effective, but doing it will requires more amp. power in order to get to the same loudness because when you push freq down you have a lower volume altogether, too.
It's hard to say how much power is too much. I think xb90ex can easily handle up to 300mw with eq cut down, may be even more than that. It's yet to be determined.

not burn the amp, but definitely degrade the sound (make it trash) when u try to connect unbalanced cable and single 3.5mm plug to balanced amp using simple 3.5mm female to 4.4 male "adapter". (I tried it with audeze mx4 in local audioshop, they provided both plug and headphones).
however, here I have balanced cable with dual 3.5 mm 3 pin plugs. and it should work. I had confirmation from z5 users in amazon comments under similar adapter to 2.5mm male.
also respected moon audio which had an article about the scam producers of single 3.5 to 2.5/4.4 adapters, and an other local audio shop that also runs audio workshop that is familiar with both retermination of the plugs and producing such adapters. they even recognized the brand of my IEMs based on my questions)))

 

[Basstion]

how much power is required to drive xb90ex properly (particularly sub-bass freq)? I assume 50mw is not enough, right?

As they tell you, 50 mW is not enough to get its full potential. I use my old Fiio X5 3rd gen which is powerful enough to drive them (480mW ~ 16 ohms) and I can even use high gain if I want more punch. Some guys even used the Cayin C5 which was a portable amp beast to power the xb90ex with good results. The downside of this is that the lifespan of the controllers is shortened. It happened to me...

 

[sander93]

You are welcome.

Buy both, try, and keep Monolith LOL

hello!
what do u think about this amp?

https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-can/
will I get expected impact on soundstage for csgo with this amp using analog 3.5 to 3.5 connection?

 

[c69k]

hello!
what do u think about this amp?

https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-can/
will I get expected impact on soundstage for csgo with this amp using analog 3.5 to 3.5 connection?

I have no experience with desk amplifiers at all TBH, but I know they are usually superior in power for sure. Maybe you should check Creative AMP or AMP/DAC made for specifically gaming.

I chose Monolyth THX portable specifically for its good power, DIRAC surround, on-board EQs and 1Hz-20000Hz output range and I use it as phone DAC/AMP.

I finally was able to tune down frequencies between 40-80Hz which sounded boomy to my ears (for U.K. drill rap) and boost all under 40 Hz to the extreme. Now I have detailed and clean air-pushing sub-bass which does not sound boomy no matter the sound volume.

WIth bass boost ON, on NX4 DSD this was simply impossible, I tried everything and the roll off under 20 Hz is very noticable. I just sold my NX4 DSD a few hours ago.

What IEMs/headphones are you using for gaming?

For me either going portable or PC gaming it is Monolyth THX portable all the way. I have Sony EX800ST IEMs which can take 500mW easy and I am at 80% sound volume (-10 dB on its display) mostly on Monolyth when on skateboard (very windy and noisy).

 

[sander93]

I have no experience with desk amplifiers at all TBH, but I know they are usually superior in power for sure. Maybe you should check Creative AMP or AMP/DAC made for specifically gaming.

I chose Monolyth THX portable specifically for its good power, DIRAC surround, on-board EQs and 1Hz-20000Hz output range and I use it as phone DAC/AMP.

I finally was able to tune down frequencies between 40-80Hz which sounded boomy to my ears (for U.K. drill rap) and boost all under 40 Hz to the extreme. Now I have detailed and clean air-pushing sub-bass which does not sound boomy no matter the sound volume.

WIth bass boost ON, on NX4 DSD this was simply impossible, I tried everything and the roll off under 20 Hz is very noticable. I just sold my NX4 DSD a few hours ago.

What IEMs/headphones are you using for gaming?

For me either going portable or PC gaming it is Monolyth THX portable all the way. I have Sony EX800ST IEMs which can take 500mW easy and I am at 80% sound volume (-10 dB on its display) mostly on Monolyth when on skateboard (very windy and noisy).

I use sony mdr 1Am2 headphones. pretty nice sound stage with realtek soft (3D virtualization option ON, volume normalization ON)
I tried xba z5, however it seems it has narrower sound stage and less details.
monolyth is nice option, however it has not as much power as IFI zen can.

 

[c69k]

If you're looking for the most subbass and not shrilling highs, you need true 6n or 7n high purity copper cables without any sort of silver or cable hybrids. The true balanced 7n high purity copper(9.999999) is very expensive so I went with 6n.

This is very good info. THX

I found this cable on Ali:

"16 cores 99% Pure 7N OCC Copper Kabel". Cost with 3.5 mm and 1.2 m length is only 50 EUR (!)

https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/item/40...60cb0f6bb88b9813c032.jpg_640x640Q90.jpg_.webp

Please can you check, if you have time?

The cable I have now (link below) is also 7N, 35 EUR, but there is silver coating (?) and def. not 16 cores and pure copper. The feel is awesome.

https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/item/40...er_id=b62feca15623497089b21f279550f599&is_c=N

I might pull trigger Nov 11, but would it, in your opinion, make difference in sound (subbass)?

Any input from you is very appreciated. THX

 

[skeptical]

This is very good info. THX

I found this cable on Ali:

"16 cores 99% Pure 7N OCC Copper Kabel". Cost with 3.5 mm and 1.2 m length is only 50 EUR (!)

https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/item/4000954012419.html?spm=a2g0n.productlist.0.0.482845daK4uVl2&browser_id=b62feca15623497089b21f279550f599&aff_trace_key=c615c6e25afb414b990bb8f2518bdd29-1585530987324-00723-VnYZvQVf&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=1758b6f17402502e6978d502f85a142608d951b7f0&gclid=&_imgsrc_=ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Hc94cbd2772fa460cb0f6bb88b9813c032.jpg_640x640Q90.jpg_.webp

Please can you check, if you have time?

The cable I have now (link below) is also 7N, 35 EUR, but there is silver coating (?) and def. not 16 cores and pure copper. The feel is awesome.

https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/item/40...er_id=b62feca15623497089b21f279550f599&is_c=N

I might pull trigger Nov 11, but would it, in your opinion, make difference in sound (subbass)?

Any input from you is very appreciated. THX

Its hard to say. First off I don't speak German and I don't know how they prove the accuracy, second I've seen there one 5n cable which was more expensive, which makes no sense whatsoever.
I don't trust aftermarket company from china, unless it is a reputable retailer or a brand name. They usually say what buyers want to hear. 99% is 2n(nines) not 7n, right ? so its clear they are clueless about the product and didn't think too much how to properly advertise it.
Think about it, there is no way for you as a buyer to check out the true purity of that copper and they know that, so they can say whatever they want.
To me the value of that cable is in great many attachments and neat interlock system which by itself alone would cost approximately 30 eur.
There are two ways to achieve the least loss of signal in cables. 1. The more expensive way is by rising up the purity of copper and the cheaper way by making the cable thicker with many cores.
I personally prefer the first, I don't like woven cables. I used to have two of them. They tend in time to get stiff and then their insulation crack because of poor insulator protection. They are uncomfortable heavy and bulky for me but very flexible when they are new and sound good. I still have one 8core pure copper from aliexpress and a new one from jvc which I know is true 6n and much thinner in size but bass wise they both are equally good and better than other stiffen two which were silver coated copper.

 

[overstepss]

Does anyone here have an opinion on the Monarch? Crinacle and AudioDiscourse both praise the bass quality and quantity, but I've come to learn that "good bass" means different things to different people haha

 

[c69k]

Its hard to say. First off I don't speak German and I don't know how they prove the accuracy, second I've seen there one 5n cable which was more expensive, which makes no sense whatsoever.
I don't trust aftermarket company from china, unless it is a reputable retailer or a brand name. They usually say what buyers want to hear. 99% is 2n(nines) not 7n, right ? so its clear they are clueless about the product and didn't think too much how to properly advertise it.
Think about it, there is no way for you as a buyer to check out the true purity of that copper and they know that, so they can say whatever they want.
To me the value of that cable is in great many attachments and neat interlock system which by itself alone would cost approximately 30 eur.
There are two ways to achieve the least loss of signal in cables. 1. The more expensive way is by rising up the purity of copper and the cheaper way by making the cable thicker with many cores.
I personally prefer the first, I don't like woven cables. I used to have two of them. They tend in time to get stiff and then their insulation crack because of poor insulator protection. They are uncomfortable heavy and bulky for me but very flexible when they are new and sound good. I still have one 8core pure copper from aliexpress and a new one from jvc which I know is true 6n and much thinner in size but bass wise they both are equally good and better than other stiffen two which were silver coated copper.

Hi, thanx for thorough explanation. The page is in Dutch, as I now reside in Amsterdam, easy to switch to English with one click

So basically I should look for purity instead of an 'N' on ALI. Good info, thanx.

I also have one 16 core cable from ALI and unfortunately everytime I used it, static electricity from my clothes when walking makes static crackling in my IEMs, but only those with balanced armatures (KZ AS16).

I also think that if IEM cable is only 1.2 meters long, the quality vs. price has very small effect on overall sound, could be wrong though. I will try the original Sony EX800ST cable and see if I can hear any difference.

Can you hear difference in bass with different cables? Or do you only have/use quality ones sounding similar?

Does super quality copper cable rise bass or only decreases highs?

Thanx for any input, I really appreciate your time.

 

[skeptical]

Hi, thanx for thorough explanation. The page is in Dutch, as I now reside in Amsterdam, easy to switch to English with one click

So basically I should look for purity instead of an 'N' on ALI. Good info, thanx.

I also have one 16 core cable from ALI and unfortunately everytime I used it, static electricity from my clothes when walking makes static crackling in my IEMs, but only those with balanced armatures (KZ AS16).

I also think that if IEM cable is only 1.2 meters long, the quality vs. price has very small effect on overall sound, could be wrong though. I will try the original Sony EX800ST cable and see if I can hear any difference.

Can you hear difference in bass with different cables? Or do you only have/use quality ones sounding similar?

Does super quality copper cable rise bass or only decreases highs?

Thanx for any input, I really appreciate your time.

No, you Should look for N, it stands for 9 and it reflects purity. For example 99.999998% purity means 7N (seven nines total count)
The original sony cable does not mean high purity copper, you should ask sony what is the copper purity of ex800st cable, I think is 5n.
I never owned ex800st because I have problem how they fit me and they need a lot more power in order to pump them to full potential bass.
Yes, I can blindly hear the difference between cables and tell you exactly which one is which even on 45 cm long cable and I hate that, I WISH I did not hear the difference. You are LUCKY if you can't.
To make it more clear for you, imagine a drummer set.
Pure silver cable -sound like one small drum on the floor with pedal, very tight, fast and precise bass but not very loud,+ 4 mid drums loud and clear and +6 different size symbols loud and clear, you can tell them apart.
Pure copper high purity- sounds like two drums on the floor one big and one smaller with two pedals, not very tight (the more power you give the tighter bass becomes), not very fast (not good for metal music), but very loud and deep like it never ends and you can tell them two apart, one rumble other kicks with impact. +4 mid. drums( one bigger three smaller) loud and clear you can tell them apart, +2 symbols one bigger and one smaller you hardly can tell them apart but they are loud.
Low purity copper cables are the same but with a blanket over the whole drummer set you barely can tell anything apart
Hybrids and silver coated copper.
One mid size drum on the floor clear and loud, +4 mid drums standing up you barely can tell them apart or what size they are, +4 symbols very loud and you can't tell them apart.
I'm a basshead, I like pure copper. period.

 

[c69k]

No, you Should look for N, it stands for 9 and it reflects purity. For example 99.999998% purity means 7N (seven nines total count)
The original sony cable does not mean high purity copper, you should ask sony what is the copper purity of ex800st cable, I think is 5n.
I never owned ex800st because I have problem how they fit me and they need a lot more power in order to pump them to full potential bass.
Yes, I can blindly hear the difference between cables and tell you exactly which one is which even on 45 cm long cable and I hate that, I WISH I did not hear the difference. You are LUCKY if you can't.
To make it more clear for you, imagine a drummer set.
Pure silver cable -sound like one small drum on the floor with pedal, very tight, fast and precise bass but not very loud,+ 4 mid drums loud and clear and +6 different size symbols loud and clear, you can tell them apart.
Pure copper high purity- sounds like two drums on the floor one big and one smaller with two pedals, not very tight (the more power you give the tighter bass becomes), not very fast (not good for metal music), but very loud and deep like it never ends and you can tell them two apart, one rumble other kicks with impact. +4 mid. drums( one bigger three smaller) loud and clear you can tell them apart, +2 symbols one bigger and one smaller you hardly can tell them apart but they are loud.
Low purity copper cables are the same but with a blanket over the whole drummer set you barely can tell anything apart
Hybrids and silver coated copper.
One mid size drum on the floor clear and loud, +4 mid drums standing up you barely can tell them apart or what size they are, +4 symbols very loud and you can't tell them apart.
I'm a basshead, I like pure copper. period.

!AWESOME! Drumset explanation...I get the idea, THX

I tried to click (on my laptop) on the 2 links I sent 2 posts back, and all was very big...probably smartphone format I sent it from LOL

For the cable I have now (pic. below), this are the specs:

High Conductivity Low Impedance headphone wire, Hi-Res cable. this is Silver Plated + 7N OCC wire Cord or
LN006647 Hi-Res Silver Plated 7N OCC Earphone Cable For Sony MDR-EX1000 MDR-EX600 MDR-EX800 MDR-7550

I have never A/B'd cables with the EX800ST (or any other IEMs), but as I want more and more of deep rumble, of course, I am going to invest +/- 100 USD into new cable and also +/-35 USD in the 0.78 adapter (pic. 2 below). There are 10-15 different cables on ALI with already soldered proprietary Sony EX800 connectors, which is not very much to choose from.

Do you know of any 0.78 '100% SURE SHOT' cable that will make me throw up?

THX for any of your time.

 

[skeptical]

Yes, I noticed the licks are screwed up on my laptop, I opened them on my phone and they were fine but I couldn't see the English button though.
The drummer set analogy I exaggerated a bit for your better understanding how cables work but In reality there is no such big of a difference and not every one can hear it at all, but unfortunately for me I clearly can.
I have some bad news. The ex800st was designed by sony for professional audio studios and the first who discovered them as number 1 basshead iem with some simple modification was HBB guy. He ask another guy to make a custom cable for them but not because he didn't like the cable sound, because he didn't like the quality, how the original cable was made. It's all here on this thread many pages back. For 800st is way more important the power amount from amplifier and equalizer, which has greater impact on sound than cables. Ear tips and cables are second priority and they serve only to fine tune the sound and comfort adjustments.
So, what I'm trying to say is, my guts tell me that all of those cables you found on ali as a direct replacement upgrade most likely are not designed with basshead in mind but rather pro studio like what sony originally intended this iem for.
It's a tough job to find a pure copper with a exk connector upgrade cable for ex800st but you certainly can use that adapter and connect to them whatever other cable you want, which will fit 0.78 female
Normally, white or light grey color cables indicates silver in them, you want to stay away from those and if you don't mind bulk and woven cables, you need something like that one lower . I personally more interested in something like this from Japan but the seller doesn't answer about the true copper purity. All sellers tend to hide this information and cover their headlines with a bunch of non sense unsupported lines, especially on aliexspress.

ebay.com/itm/AKG-AC-2-5M4-MMCX-1-2M-Earphine-Recable-2-5mm-4-Pole-Plug-Balance-Japan-Tracking/164146922920

There is a thread here on head-fi where they discus cheap and not so cheap cables from ali with their rating on the first page. I can't suggest you anything because I don't like woven cables from ali and i didn't spend my time to look through them, all they have there are woven. Here you have some of them depending how much you want to spend

aliexpress.com/item/4000129870705.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.3d0f5578w3JztL&algo_pvid=b3ec5b73-864b-4cde-a6e3-f3b63b03d0c4&algo_expid=b3ec5b73-864b-4cde-a6e3-f3b63b03d0c4-10&btsid=0bb0622f16045170819321045e010b&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

 

[c69k]

I couldn't see the English button though.

I meant Google translate button, it gives me the Dutch or English option at the bottom of the page when I scroll, a banner comes up in Google Chrome, but only on my mobile phone.

Yes, Hawai Japan MMA got me on the EX800ST train for sure, what a cool person.

Thank you so much for your time and links!!! SO much important info. Will check the cable thread. Peace

_\|/_

 

[c69k]

@skeptical

I looked for a few hours on Ali and decided to buy this one after 11.11.

Cotton mesh shielded litz 8N single crystal copper upgrade cable 3.5 mm jack 0.78mm >> now 123 EUR (after 11.11.) about 113 EUR


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

If the link does not open (it opens for me), please try Aliexpress search for:

Cotton mesh shielded litz 8N single crystal copper upgrade cable 2.5/3.5/4.4 mmcx 0.78mm

I hope someone here has experience with similar cables, do you think the black material may cause static when walking?