High end (IEM) cable thread: impressions, pics, comparisons and reviews.
Mar 6, 2018 at 7:04 AM Post #1,636 of 4,183
Nice effort guys! I added Forza Audioworks and Toxic cables for Europe, let me know if anyone thinks of anything else.
SilverFi? :D

Also, what was the Dutch company working with Dita? Do they offer their own cables?
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 7:06 AM Post #1,637 of 4,183
SilverFi? :D

Also, what was the Dutch company working with Dita? Do they offer their own cables?

Van Den Hul. I have used their interconnects in my 2 channel set and they're very good :)
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 8:44 AM Post #1,639 of 4,183
SilverFi? :D

Also, what was the Dutch company working with Dita? Do they offer their own cables?

The only cables they offer are the Dita ones, and they should come with an ergonomic safety hazard. :D
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 8:52 AM Post #1,640 of 4,183
This is a great thread for a newbie, like me, however I can't get any of them to try ahead of time. That kind of stinks, lol. Jealous of you all who have many and can figure out what works best with your specific IEM's. My first after market cable will be the soon to be released Effect Audio cable with my Empire Ear's new Phantom CIEM. It was the only after market cable I heard with them that I thought made a bit of a difference. Got out of the way and kept the beautiful warmness of the IEM and even extended teh top without any harshness, but kept the bite of the Sax and the shimmer of a splash cymbal, which to me is so important. Also kept that tight bass and kept it tuneful. I think it will be a hit as it's in their Horus line and priced less than the Horus.

I hope to get a few dealers I know to carry some personal audio. Maybe then, I'll be able to hear other cables as there seems to be a few that are outstanding values adn some that are just outstanding. thanks. all.
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 8:58 AM Post #1,642 of 4,183
Van Den Hul. I have used their interconnects in my 2 channel set and they're very good :)


I've owned a lot of VDH gear over the years. Their phono cartridges used to be outstanding. I actually have one of their MM1's in the basement. It was one of the Best Buys in all cartridges as it's so musical. I've had most of the cables in my system over the years to review and they were nice. Nothing so special that I've ever wanted to replace my reference gear, but well priced to say the least and great value. I'm sure their cables will be a solid buy and possibly a great buy as they are so fundamentally sound in everything they do. Kind of like Audioquest. I think I've liked virtually everything they have brought to market. Heck, I even use to of their power outlets behind each of my Vandersteen spekaers as they have powered subs built in, lol.
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 9:10 AM Post #1,643 of 4,183
The only cables they offer are the Dita ones, and they should come with an ergonomic safety hazard. :D
Thanks! Haha, yeah, I read several comments about that previously. Never understand why any manufacturer would compromise on the ergonomics of a high-end cable. It would be akin to building a Ferrari that has cinder blocks for seats. :D
This is a great thread for a newbie, like me, however I can't get any of them to try ahead of time. That kind of stinks, lol. Jealous of you all who have many and can figure out what works best with your specific IEM's. My first after market cable will be the soon to be released Effect Audio cable with my Empire Ear's new Phantom CIEM. It was the only after market cable I heard with them that I thought made a bit of a difference. Got out of the way and kept the beautiful warmness of the IEM and even extended teh top without any harshness, but kept the bite of the Sax and the shimmer of a splash cymbal, which to me is so important. Also kept that tight bass and kept it tuneful. I think it will be a hit as it's in their Horus line and priced less than the Horus.

I hope to get a few dealers I know to carry some personal audio. Maybe then, I'll be able to hear other cables as there seems to be a few that are outstanding values adn some that are just outstanding. thanks. all.
Well I can say one thing, when you have your Phantom with the new EA cable, many people around here will be extremely jealous of you! :D From what I have read of your (and a little bit of Nic's) descriptions, it sounds like an excellent pairing!
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 9:29 AM Post #1,644 of 4,183
This is a great thread for a newbie, like me, however I can't get any of them to try ahead of time. That kind of stinks, lol. Jealous of you all who have many and can figure out what works best with your specific IEM's. My first after market cable will be the soon to be released Effect Audio cable with my Empire Ear's new Phantom CIEM. It was the only after market cable I heard with them that I thought made a bit of a difference. Got out of the way and kept the beautiful warmness of the IEM and even extended teh top without any harshness, but kept the bite of the Sax and the shimmer of a splash cymbal, which to me is so important. Also kept that tight bass and kept it tuneful. I think it will be a hit as it's in their Horus line and priced less than the Horus.

I hope to get a few dealers I know to carry some personal audio. Maybe then, I'll be able to hear other cables as there seems to be a few that are outstanding values adn some that are just outstanding. thanks. all.

If you want to try different cables, just let me know, I can send you some!
:smile_phones:
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 9:35 AM Post #1,645 of 4,183
If you want to try different cables, just let me know, I can send you some!
:smile_phones:

or even meet up to exchange and listen! lol....and look at Ferrari's :wink:. Ha!!!!
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 9:49 AM Post #1,646 of 4,183
Give me a time. Perhaps during this weekend. I will finished the revised asia company list. Cause.. I am quite lazy during weekdays~~
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 11:33 AM Post #1,647 of 4,183
Here is the revised Asia List ~~

ASIA (ascending sort by national and name)

- Brimar Cable, Hongkong
Official site : https://www.brimar.net/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/brimar.net/
- Labkable, Hongkong
Official site : http://www.labkable-headfi.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Labkable/
- Mad Cable, Hongkong
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/MadCableHK/
- Modular Workshop, Hongkong
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ModularWorkshop/
- Penon, Hong Kong
Official site : https://penon-official.com/
- PW Audio, Hongkong
Official site : http://www.pw-audio.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pwaudio2014/
- Rhapsodio, Hongkong
Official site : https://www.rhapsodiostore.com/categories/iem-upgrade-cable
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/rhapsodiohk/
- Song Audio, Hong Kong
Official site : http://www.songs-audio.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/SongsAudio/
- Acoustune, Japan
Official site : http://acoustune.com/
Shopping site : http://www.e-earphone.jp/shopbrand/ct3342/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/acoustune
- Bispa, Japan
Official site : https://bispa.co.jp/
Shopping site : http://www.e-earphone.jp/cable/Bispa
Twitter : https://twitter.com/Bispa_ATL
- Brise Audio, Japan
Official site : http://briseaudio.jp/index.html
Twitter : https://twitter.com/briseaudio
- Eme Audio, Japan
Official site : http://eme-audio.com/cable
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/emeaudio
- Onso, Japan
Official site : http://www.onsoproject.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/onsoproject/
- Nobunaga Labs, Japan
Official site : http://nobunagalabs.com/nobunagalabs/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/nobunagalabs/
- Rosenkranz, Japan
Official site : http://www.rosenkranz-jp.com/Product/earphone_headphone/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/rosenkranz.jp/
- Wagnus, Japan
Official blog : https://wagnus.exblog.jp/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/wagnus_official
- AudioHive, Singapore
Official site : https://sgaudiohive.com/collections/cables
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/sgaudiohive
- Dita, Singapore
Official site : http://www.ditaaudio.com/index.php/products/truth-replacement-cable.html
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/DitaAudio/
- Effect Audio, Singapore
Official site : https://www.effectaudio.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/effectaudiosg/
- Null Audio, Singapore
Official site : https://www.null-audio.com/collections/iem-headphone-cable
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/NullAudio/
- Han sound, Taiwan
Official site : http://www.hansoundaudio.com/default.aspx
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/hansoundaudio/
- Luminox Audio, Taiwan
Official site : http://www.luminox-a.com.tw/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/luminoxaudio.tw/
- OC Studio, Taiwan
Official site : https://www.originalcable.com/
Official shopping site : http://class.ruten.com.tw/user/index00.php?s=davidboyman&c=0&d=&o=3&m=1&p=1&k=
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/OriginalCableStudio/
- Cross Lambda Audio, Thailand
Official site : http://www.crosslambdaaudio.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/crosslambdaaudio/

Remark :
1) Song's audio : Are they still doing business? I checked on their facebook and their last update is about year 2013. Please consider whether get it in this list or move it out.
2) Onso : Basically, they make stock-level cables but provide mmcx, 2.5TRRS, 4.5TRRS plug. Please consider whether get it in or move it out.
3) Acoustune : Obviously, this brand is the one who behind 'Pentaconn' plug brand. If you look at their fb, you will see picture of Mr. Suyang (Effect Audio) was handshaking with an Acoustune Japanese staff. However, currently Acoustune sells only stock-specs cables that come together with their IEM products separately but various plug type e.g. 2.5 mm., 3.5 mm. and 4.4 mm..
4) Penon : This is a newcomer brand. Though, their 2 aftermarket OCC-claim cables are made from China. So if you know about how many & where the certified OCC factories in this world, please take it into consideration.
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 1:55 PM Post #1,648 of 4,183
Any cable advice for a Sony XBA-Z5? I don't want to go over $1,000, but will if the cable will change my life. LOL I'd prefer to be around $500 if possible.

I would say that most definitely any cable between $500 and $1,000 will change your life. You will start losing sleep, you will start cable rolling when you wake up before you go to work, you will lie awake at night wondering if you made the right choice, you will break out into a cold sweat thinking "maybe this cable is too good for this IEM and now I need an IEM that costs four times as much as the cable" and last but not least, you will probably wear out at least four or five MMCX sockets sending you into a fit of rage. I mean, I don't speak from experience or anything...

Now in a more reasonable sense, I had (and loved) the Z5 and I tried a few cables with it. My favorite of the bunch was a pure copper Beat Audio cable (the Thor), but that has since been discontinued. I found that one of my favorite attributes of the Z5 was the strong, authoritative bass and pure silver cables seemed to take just a bit away from that. Although if you are looking to tighten up the bass and make it a bit more punchy while retaining that strong sub-bass, a pure silver cable might do just the trick. How do you find the sound signature of the Z5 now? Are you looking to improve or tame any frequencies? It seems like the usual suspects often talked about here might do very good things for the Z5, such as the Whiplash TWau (gold-plated silver), the Thor II Silver from Effect Audio (or Thor II+ for a bit smoother sound) or of course the Leonidas, but you're getting up there in price and the benefits might not be worth it on the Z5. Nothing against the Z5 at all, but I don't remember it being especially sensitive to cable rolling especially going way up in price.

Another suggestion is the Rhapsodio Luna (warmer silver cable) or perhaps their RSD Silver mk3 (higher resolution, really clean bass and extended treble).

Sorry for the long-winded reply :)

-Collin-
 
Mar 6, 2018 at 2:13 PM Post #1,649 of 4,183
I would say that most definitely any cable between $500 and $1,000 will change your life. You will start losing sleep, you will start cable rolling when you wake up before you go to work, you will lie awake at night wondering if you made the right choice, you will break out into a cold sweat thinking "maybe this cable is too good for this IEM and now I need an IEM that costs four times as much as the cable" and last but not least, you will probably wear out at least four or five MMCX sockets sending you into a fit of rage. I mean, I don't speak from experience or anything...
Last night I was lying awake wondering how I might be able to justify buying a $2.5k cable.
...then I thought I could buy a $1k cable and an extra pair of high-end IEMs.
...then I realised that I am at a point in my life where I need to be sensible about spending.
...and now I am having an existential crisis.
:D
 
Last edited:
Mar 6, 2018 at 4:16 PM Post #1,650 of 4,183
I would say that most definitely any cable between $500 and $1,000 will change your life. You will start losing sleep, you will start cable rolling when you wake up before you go to work, you will lie awake at night wondering if you made the right choice, you will break out into a cold sweat thinking "maybe this cable is too good for this IEM and now I need an IEM that costs four times as much as the cable" and last but not least, you will probably wear out at least four or five MMCX sockets sending you into a fit of rage. I mean, I don't speak from experience or anything...

Now in a more reasonable sense, I had (and loved) the Z5 and I tried a few cables with it. My favorite of the bunch was a pure copper Beat Audio cable (the Thor), but that has since been discontinued. I found that one of my favorite attributes of the Z5 was the strong, authoritative bass and pure silver cables seemed to take just a bit away from that. Although if you are looking to tighten up the bass and make it a bit more punchy while retaining that strong sub-bass, a pure silver cable might do just the trick. How do you find the sound signature of the Z5 now? Are you looking to improve or tame any frequencies? It seems like the usual suspects often talked about here might do very good things for the Z5, such as the Whiplash TWau (gold-plated silver), the Thor II Silver from Effect Audio (or Thor II+ for a bit smoother sound) or of course the Leonidas, but you're getting up there in price and the benefits might not be worth it on the Z5. Nothing against the Z5 at all, but I don't remember it being especially sensitive to cable rolling especially going way up in price.

Another suggestion is the Rhapsodio Luna (warmer silver cable) or perhaps their RSD Silver mk3 (higher resolution, really clean bass and extended treble).

Sorry for the long-winded reply :)

-Collin-


I actually like long replies. I myself sometimes ramble on and on when I get excited about something.

Some of the bass seems to be overpowering, but a lot of my files are old and it could be a bad recording. I also need to replace a lot of my music files that are in mp3 with flac. I have some flec but not as much as I need.

I'm currently burning them in 247 for the past 4 days. I'll probably give them a break for a day then start up for another few days.

I did think about getting that Sony Kimber kable 4.4 and buying the taz amp so choosing a cable would be easier and I did want to upgrade my dac/amp anyway.
I would say that most definitely any cable between $500 and $1,000 will change your life. You will start losing sleep, you will start cable rolling when you wake up before you go to work, you will lie awake at night wondering if you made the right choice, you will break out into a cold sweat thinking "maybe this cable is too good for this IEM and now I need an IEM that costs four times as much as the cable" and last but not least, you will probably wear out at least four or five MMCX sockets sending you into a fit of rage. I mean, I don't speak from experience or anything...

Now in a more reasonable sense, I had (and loved) the Z5 and I tried a few cables with it. My favorite of the bunch was a pure copper Beat Audio cable (the Thor), but that has since been discontinued. I found that one of my favorite attributes of the Z5 was the strong, authoritative bass and pure silver cables seemed to take just a bit away from that. Although if you are looking to tighten up the bass and make it a bit more punchy while retaining that strong sub-bass, a pure silver cable might do just the trick. How do you find the sound signature of the Z5 now? Are you looking to improve or tame any frequencies? It seems like the usual suspects often talked about here might do very good things for the Z5, such as the Whiplash TWau (gold-plated silver), the Thor II Silver from Effect Audio (or Thor II+ for a bit smoother sound) or of course the Leonidas, but you're getting up there in price and the benefits might not be worth it on the Z5. Nothing against the Z5 at all, but I don't remember it being especially sensitive to cable rolling especially going way up in price.

Another suggestion is the Rhapsodio Luna (warmer silver cable) or perhaps their RSD Silver mk3 (higher resolution, really clean bass and extended treble).

Sorry for the long-winded reply :)

-Collin-

I actually like long replies. I sometimes do it myself when I get excited about something.

I like bass, but I feel that it's sometimes overpowering the rest of the music and I can't hear the vocals as much as I think I should be hearing. I do have a mix of flac and some old mp3s that are less than great quality which is also a problem. My new project besides getting a cable is to replace as much old music files as possible with new lossless flac files.

I have also thought about just getting the 4.4 Kimber kable and buy the Sony Taz dac/amp and the 600 or was it 700 dollar Walkman and fully commit to the Sony ecosystem. It would be easier that way. I have a Google pixel 2 XL and it has a USB c port with no headphone jack. So my mojo is doing nothing right now except for being connected to my PC when I'm at home. So I could be also be looking for another dac/amp or dap for when I'm not at home and another for when I'm at home. I've done this several times already. I buy then don't like it then sell everything then buy everything all over again which is why I got out of this for a few years. But I got my friend hooked into headphones and amps and dacs and he wanted my home setup so I said ok because isn't buying new stuff part of the fun? So I'm starting over again, but still have the mojo left.

I don't mind paying more for a cable than what I paid for the z5 if it gets me the sound to where I think it should be at. I've always liked hybrids which is why I got it and was away from Sony for awhile but wanted to get some of their headphones and earphones to start.
 

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