Hifiman HE1000 Planar Dynamic Headphone

Jun 10, 2024 at 4:49 PM Post #14,761 of 15,106
Hmm...it crossed my mind if that reputable engineer has ever used those cables in Hi-Fi chains and listened to music.
Or are those claims just based on measuring cables and providing graphs?

Huh... I'm tripping, too. I heard a big change when I swapped the old speaker cable for Supra Annorum XL.


Cheers!
:mushroom::mushroom::mushroom:
the physical characteristics of wires might be technically true but other things matter like purity, isolation, etc. I hear differences and I'd tell the nerd to his face and make him listen lol.
And power cords matter, too. And interconnects (less so if balanced)...
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 4:55 PM Post #14,762 of 15,106
I'm sorry, it is not a fact, it is your opinion, which you are of course fully entitled to have. But I think it's wrong to present it as a fact.
As you say, we would not have this discussion if it was a clear cut, that works both ways, not only the way that supports your opinion, IMO 😊
Would it be a fact if you heard it with your own ears? From my experience and many others', the Excalibur sounds distinctly better than regular USB cables. Whether it's due to the materials used, the care taken to avoid EM radiation contaminating the signal, using gold connectors rather than copper, etc. I don't know but there is plenty of science behind it and a lot of us believe or there wouldn't be much of a 3rd party cable business. I am sure that most of us go into it thinking it must be snake oil but when we hear an improvement in sound we are converted. Isn't that what we're here for?

If you have Amazon in your country, why not order an Excalibur and hear for yourself? What do you have to lose, except having to eat a bit of humble pie. :)
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 4:57 PM Post #14,763 of 15,106
I hear differences and I'd tell the nerd to his face and make him listen lol.
Once upon a time...one engineer (a friend) laughed at me when I said in conversation that the Moon (Moon changes),
affects the tides. I was stunned that he didn't know that; I couldn't believe it.
He was defending himself while laughing by saying:
" I would know that; we would learn that in the uni if that's true".
Hmm...every time I read someone mention engineer and cables...I remember him. :)

Cheers!
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 5:12 PM Post #14,764 of 15,106
Would it be a fact if you heard it with your own ears?
No, IMO, it isn't. I'm very sure you heard a difference, but I'm just not sure if it is the cable that is making the difference :)

From my experience and many others', the Excalibur sounds distinctly better than regular USB cables. Whether it's due to the materials used, the care taken to avoid EM radiation contaminating the signal, using gold connectors rather than copper, etc. I don't know but there is plenty of science behind it and a lot of us believe or there wouldn't be much of a 3rd party cable business. I am sure that most of us go into it thinking it must be snake oil but when we hear an improvement in sound we are converted. Isn't that what we're here for?
And I'm sure you and many others hear a difference, I'm just not convinced it is the cable, that is making the difference. I work in the HiFi, I've heard many times, how much our brain can alter what we hear, even though exactly the same is being played, but the circumstances change, or we are being told something. that does not mean that we cannot hear a difference, It's just not the gear that is the reason for it.

If you have Amazon in your country, why not order an Excalibur and hear for yourself? What do you have to lose, except having to eat a bit of humble pie. :)
I have different cables, but not the Excalibur. I have tested, blind, and by that, I've formed my opinion. It's got nothing to do with a pie, IMO, I have actually tested it for myself, have you?

Anyway, this is OT, and I'm going to leave it here, I've made my message pretty clear. Thank you for a good response, and have a great evening, hopefully with some nice music :)
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 5:14 PM Post #14,765 of 15,106
the physical characteristics of wires might be technically true but other things matter like purity, isolation, etc. I hear differences and I'd tell the nerd to his face and make him listen lol.
And power cords matter, too. And interconnects (less so if balanced)...
Then there's different materials that affect the sound - copper, silver, silver plated copper... To say that one cable performs exactly like another seems silly to me. Agreed about interconnects, which surprised me. I'm not sure if the Excalibur or my headphone cables made the most improvement but both were significant, then power cables, then XLRs.

Funnily enough, while playing with Supra power cables I ended up with both standard and silver plated cables and I may too be tripping and could not say which was which in an A-B test but I felt that the SPC cable sounded very slightly sharper.

I guess it depends what we're listing too. Most times I'm listening to the music but sometimes I like listening to the equipment and noticing these things (the definition of an audiophile, I'm told, I just wish I could afford to be one).
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 5:18 PM Post #14,766 of 15,106
No, IMO, it isn't. I'm very sure you heard a difference, but I'm just not sure if it is the cable that is making the difference :)
I did a straight swap, back and forth in real time and honestly, I was genuinely surprised at the difference.

And I'm sure you and many others hear a difference, I'm just not convinced it is the cable, that is making the difference. I work in the HiFi, I've heard many times, how much our brain can alter what we hear, even though exactly the same is being played, but the circumstances change, or we are being told something. that does not mean that we cannot hear a difference, It's just not the gear that is the reason for it.
I don't understand why you value what you've read or been told over actual experience. Hey-ho, each to their own.
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 5:36 PM Post #14,767 of 15,106
I did a straight swap, back and forth in real time and honestly, I was genuinely surprised at the difference
And that's great, but it's only an opinion. And my whole point is that I think it is wrong to state opinions as they are a fact.

I don't understand why you value what you've read or been told over actual experience. Hey-ho, each to their own.
Ehh? Not sure how you got that from what I wrote? I am valuing experience over what I read?
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 6:09 PM Post #14,768 of 15,106
The fact is that in practice they DO affect the sound and the people who say they don't have never tried good quality cables.
Well, we're going to have to agree to disagree on this point. I have bought some fairly nice cables for their aesthetics and ergonomics as well as for a balanced connection if needed. But I have not expected and have not experienced any difference in sound quality. I recently spent almost $300 USD for an OCC copper cable from Norne for the HEK Stealth. I think we can agree that is a good quality cable. It's wonderfully made, it looks beautiful, it's a joy to interact with and I love using it. But it doesn't sound any different to me from the middling ($75-ish) Audiophile Ninja that I had been using. (Both are balanced cables with a 4.4mm termination; I had been using the Audiophile Ninja cable with the Arya Stealth, which I traded to Hifiman to upgrade to the HEK Stealth. I was so happy with the HEK Stealth, that I decided to spurge on the new cable.) Maybe my 70-year old ears aren't sufficiently well trained to hear a difference.

I recently bought a 64 Audio U4s which, like all 64 Audio IEMs, even the most expensive, comes only with a single ended 3.5mm cable. (BTW, I think it's unacceptable today for an $1100 IEM not to come with interchangeable plugs or at least the option to choose a 4.4mm termination. But that's another story.) I'm temporarily using the modular cable from my Thieaudio Monarch MKII with the 4.4mm plug on the U4s, but am planning to buy a balanced cable for the U4s soon and put the Monarch cable back where it belongs. I'm debating whether to get a customized 4.4mm Hart cable for about $100 (since every amp and dongle that I use has a 4.4mm output, I don't see the need for their modular system) or a balanced Effect Audio silver plated copper cable for about double that. I don't expect to tell them apart for sound quality, but the Effect cable sure looks nicer.
 
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Jun 10, 2024 at 6:42 PM Post #14,769 of 15,106
If it was that cut and dried we wouldn't be having this conversation. If cables were incapable of changing the sound we would all be in agreement and only upgrade them for practical reasons. The fact is that in practice they DO affect the sound and the people who say they don't have never tried good quality cables.

My Null Audio headphone and IEM cables unquestionably opened up the sound stage and revealed more detail than the supplied cables; the Supra Excalibur USB cable actually shocked me compared to the basic one from Amazon that I was using; even good quality power cables made a noticeable difference, and I was VERY sceptical about them.

Yes, they're more or less the last thing to consider but to say that cables don't affect the sound is just plain wrong, even fuses do.
I was part of a group recently that blind tested 2 iem cables (I hate items btw), 1 copper, 1 silver. I don't have the best hearing mind you, but could clearly tell which was which. Copper smoother,silver had more treble. There were 7 of us and 4 chose correctly. The other 3 could also hear a difference but they chose incorrectly. Cables definitely do change the sound but subtly. This e
Was a 100% blind test.
 
Jun 10, 2024 at 6:44 PM Post #14,770 of 15,106
I'm sorry, it is not a fact, it is your opinion, which you are of course fully entitled to have. But I think it's wrong to present it as a fact.
As you say, we would not have this discussion if it was a clear cut, that works both ways, not only the way that supports your opinion, IMO 😊
Sorry-not trying to stir up here but it was definitely "fact" for me. The difference was real.
 
Jun 11, 2024 at 2:09 AM Post #14,771 of 15,106
Sorry-not trying to stir up here but it was definitely "fact" for me. The difference was real.
I don't think you are stirring up anything, as you add a "For me" at the end, which I think is crucial. I'm not trying to take anything away from other people's experience, I only think it is incorrect to state personal opinions or experiences as "facts". That is all :)
 
Jun 11, 2024 at 4:47 AM Post #14,772 of 15,106
I don't think you are stirring up anything, as you add a "For me" at the end, which I think is crucial. I'm not trying to take anything away from other people's experience, I only think it is incorrect to state personal opinions or experiences as "facts". That is all :)
That's exactly the point IMHO.

I'm an IT worker and I know that a USB cable can't change the sound. It just can't, it is not possible at all. It can be a good cable that won't cause issues and won't transport pre existent issues... of course. But it can't change the sound, it can't change the stage or the treble presentation. All it does is to take 0 and 1 and take them to the end point (with a lot control operations that ensure everything is done correctly).
On the other hand, i feel like local flac files sounds better than streaming through Tidal. That's an opinion, not a fact. The usb cable stuff is a fact.

Coming back on track with the topic: the HE1000 Stealth, after almost a year, still amazes me when I use it: to me it's the pinnacle of audio value in the upper bracket.
 
Jun 11, 2024 at 1:34 PM Post #14,773 of 15,106
probably one of those guys that thinks all dacs sound the same.
 
Jun 11, 2024 at 2:38 PM Post #14,774 of 15,106
probably one of those guys that thinks all dacs sound the same.
I've seen a discussion in which a certain number or percentage of audiophiles think that all amps (DAPs) sound the same. :)
Hmm... it sounds like I am joking...but I am not...even though it looks like a big joke. :)

Cheers!
 
Jun 11, 2024 at 3:04 PM Post #14,775 of 15,106
probably one of those guys that thinks all dacs sound the same.

I've seen a discussion in which a certain number or percentage of audiophiles think that all amps (DAPs) sound the same. :)
Hmm... it sounds like I am joking...but I am not...even though it looks like a big joke. :)

Cheers!

Why the condescending tone guys? Just because some don't agree with your opinions?

If you expect others to accept that you hear a difference, why shouldn't you then accept that they can't?
 

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