[LCMusicLover]

Pitching in my 3-cents-worth (inflation):

The greatest effect I've heard when swapping 'good' cables was going from a Lazuli Reference to a Lavricables Grand (silver) for my Utopia. I bought the Lazuli Reference when I was trying to 'soften' the 'sharpness' of Utopia. I really liked them, but found the upper-mid/treble a bit 'much'. I had tried swapping earpads -- Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin made too big a change, but Elex pads did a pretty good job. With Lazuli Ref, the effect was too much and so I went back to stock Utopia pads.

Eventually I got to a moment when I was comparing these chains (all w/ stock pads):

Denafrips Pontus | A2 Gumby ==> Liquid Platinum | DSHA-3F ==> Lazuli Reference | Lavricables Grand ==> Utopia

Lots of moving parts there, and there was no combo which made me prefer the Lazuli Reference. Closest it came was:

A2 Gumby ==> Liquid Platinum w/ Brimar CV-2492 ==> Lazuli Reference | Lavricables Grand ==> Utopia

The Gumby is brighter and more detailed than the Pontus, and the Brimars are my brightest/airiest tubes for my LP. With that chain, I was pretty close to indifferent, as w/ the Lazuli the sound was a just a hair warm/soft, and but with the Lavricables it was just a hair bright/sharp.

But with any chain incorporating the Pontus the Lavricables was preferred. In addition, with warm tubes in the LP, or with the 3F, the Lavricables was preferred.

As a result of this process, the Lazuli Reference (and the Pontus) have been sold.

Point of all this is not to recommend equipment pairings, but rather to illustrate the amount of difference cables can make (for me obviously).

During the exercise described above, I found that with my chains, listening to Utopia, two very different cables (all silver vs thick heavy copper) made about as much difference as two relatively different DACs. And the cable difference was of the same order of magnitude as that which different tubes could produce from my LP, and a little greater than the difference which swapping transformers in my DSHA-3F produced.

Couple of caveats:

Utopia is 'very revealing' of its source chain
DSHA-3F is very transparent
Lazuli Reference and Lavricables Grand are probably about as far apart as you can get in terms of their effect on sound from 'good' third-party cables

In the end, I will say that, to my ears, while cables can make difference, it's a small difference. To me, statements like 'night-and-day' or 'whole new headphone' are exercises in hyperbole. I would describe the difference as analogous to a chef adding a bit more of some ingredient to a recipe to balance out some flavors. It's still lamb, but that pinch of (whatever) brought out the (whatever). In the same way, they are still Utopia, but, depending on the chain, they can sound wonderful or just a bit difficult. Of course, cables are just one ingredient in the chain recipe.

I don't know if I helped or just stirred up the muddy water some more

 

[newworld666]

I don't know if I helped or just stirred up the muddy water some more

In a way .. both !!!!
but very interesting to read.
Thank you.

 

[KaiSc]

Your conclusion is eye-opening:
"while cables can make difference, it's a small difference. To me, statements like 'night-and-day' or 'whole new headphone' are exercises in hyperbole"

Thanx!

 

[pataburd]

"Small" perceived changes to one set of ears may not be "small" to another set of ears; it is a nominal term.

 

[iFi audio]

I have thought about it, but for a single source Scott Endler's or Ric Schultz's attenuators can't be bettered.
Endler did market a passive with 5 or 6 inputs, but I am a "sole source" listener.
On the other hand, I am seriously thinking about starting to make my own cables.

Thanks for explanation. Although I wouldn't use such a product in my own setup, there's something very cool and purist in passives.

 

[pataburd]

Well-made attenuators provide the simplest path and the purest signal, IMHO.

I once had a pair of [all tube] Kora Titan monoblocks. Kora made them with onboard volume pots. Some of the best power amps I have heard to this day, with "scary good" soundstaging.



You can catch a glimpse of the onboard potentiometer [that black knob] protruding from the right side of the rear panel.

 

[JaZZ]

Your conclusion is eye-opening:
"while cables can make difference, it's a small difference. To me, statements like 'night-and-day' or 'whole new headphone' are exercises in hyperbole"

It depends.

Here's the compensation curve that I consider adequate for the HEDDPhone with the new Silvergarde S4:

Note that even with the distinctly treble-friendly S4 a substantial treble increase is necessary to make up for the subdued treble. So even a modest (perceived) high-frequency increase by 1.2 dB and the like may pay off (if you're not into equalizing).

 

[KaiSc]

It depends.

Here's the compensation curve that I consider adequate for the HEDDPhone with the new Silvergarde S4:



Note that even with the distinctly treble-friendly S4 a substantial treble increase is necessary to make up for the subdued treble. So even a modest (perceived) high-frequency increase by 1.2 dB and the like may pay off (if you're not into equalizing).

Thanx, interesting!
How did you determin this curve - any kind of measuring involved, or by listening/ear?

When I do EQ I use a mix of both, measuring can give a good base, but finally my ears are the judge.

 

[JaZZ]

Thanx, interesting!
How did you determin this curve - any kind of measuring involved, or by listening/ear?

When I do EQ I use a mix of both, measuring can give a good base, but finally my ears are the judge.

I don't measure myself, but try to find existing measurement curves on the net – as many as possible (because they tend to look very different, so you have to look for a common pattern). This as a guideline for adjustments by ear.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Man, my brain must be fully burned in — these are sounding wonderful. Hugo2go (playing from sd card) ==> Hedd (via silver cable) doing it all:

- Lots of detail and micro dynamics without being bright or sibilant
- Balanced tonality from top to bottom
- Very coherent and 3d headstage
- Well-extended and impactful bass with no bloat

Admittedly, on first listen I was really taken with Hedd’s bass, and still am, but they are no ‘one trick pony’.

 

[Uebelkraehe]

Admittedly, on first listen I was really taken with Hedd’s bass, and still am, but they are no ‘one trick pony’.

Not at all, pretty much their only clear weakness to me seems to be that their soundstage offers very little depth (whereas width is very good).

 

[pataburd]

The HEDDphone are the only cans* I have left in my possession now. Honestly, I don't miss--or miss much--any one of the headphones since sold [e.g. ADX5000, Utopia, Empyrean, MDR-Z1R, HE1000se, etc.].

The HEDD's adequacy in portraying front-to-back layering/delineation has not been an issue with me. Perceived soundstage depth can be enhanced with a better-than-stock cable and muscular amplification [i.e. driving the HEDDphone straight from the speaker outputs of an integrated, or dedicated, power amplifier], IMHO. Right now, for example, The Dave Brubeck Quartet's "Take Five" comes through with a credible sense of depth and "natural" air.

What has always struck me as one of the HEDDphone's singular strengths is their ability to re-create the believable suspension of surrounding air that emanates from each voice [instrumental or human], and the genuine musical aura projected. These are perhaps the most transparent and realistic-sounding headphones I have heard to date.

[* The Martin Logan Mikros 90, mainstays for going on 8 years, still see regular use.]

 

[Uebelkraehe]

The HEDD's adequacy in portraying front-to-back layering/delineation has not been an issue with me. Perceived soundstage depth can be enhanced with a better-than-stock cable and muscular amplification [i.e. driving the HEDDphone straight from the speaker outputs of an integrated, or dedicated, power amplifier], IMHO.

The Burson C3R has more than enough power. As far as cables are concerned, i'm happy for you if you hear such clear improvements.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Not at all, pretty much their only clear weakness to me seems to be that their soundstage offers very little depth (whereas width is very good).

Not what I'm hearing from Hugo2go ==> Hedd. I mean Hedd's stage is not 'HEKse' wide or deep, but not as small as Utopia's. And I hear Hedd's stage as very resolved. Not as exact as Utopia's stage ('That instrument, RIGHT there'), but certainly not blurred the way I heard Empyrean's stage.

The HEDDphone are the only cans* I have left in my possession now. Honestly, I don't miss--or miss much--any one of the headphones since sold [e.g. ADX5000, Utopia, Empyrean, MDR-Z1R, HE1000se, etc.]...

Well, I can't go that far ... but I do need to thin the herd a little. Problem is that every can I own has something 'special' about it -- preferred with some genre, or preferred with some chain, or best for some setting. Definitely 1st-world problems.

...The HEDD's adequacy in portraying front-to-back layering/delineation has not been an issue with me...

Agree. I attribute some amount of the detail I hear to the precision of the stage as well as the front-to-back displacement/isolation of instruments and voices.

 

[pataburd]

Just hooked the HEDD up to the [all-tube] Sophia Baby integrated with some MillerSound [similar to--but a lot more affordable than--the JPS Aluminata] interconnects. No problem with perceived front-to-back depth. Individual images, as well as overall soundstage, are very large and 3-dimensional.

[Jack MacDuff and David Newman: Double Barrelled Soul Atlantic CD: Furman PL PRO C conditioner/EVS-modified Sony BDP-S780-->MillerSound RCA interconnects-->Sophia Baby-->4x 22 AWG Neotech UPOCC solid copper cable [via speaker outputs]-->HEDDphone]