Excellent review! I've been thinking about whether to get the 2-pin or the MMCX OSLO for the past month. It would be "awesome" if Dita comes up with interchangeable 2-pin/MMCX connectors in the future.
Now it seems like I should go for the MMCX version since I already have a 2-pin PlusSound Tri-Copper cable. From your review, the OSLO seems to pair well with the Andromeda, hopefully the SS version pairs well with the cable too.
By the way, do you know if the gold/silver oil Dita uses is similar to Furutech's gold/silver nanoliquid? Furutech has been selling this oil for years and some OSLO owners noted both of these oil have the same description: gold/silver particles & similar brownish tint.
As you can see, the cable doesn't exactly want to fall behind your ear.
Sound quality sounds as advertised, with a more musical quality than the Truth cable, but I don't know why it is so hard for Dita to make an ergonomic cable for the Dream.
From the reviews and photos, the regular 2-pin version gets it right with properly comfortable ear hooks. Sad that this one diverges from that.
Yours has regular CIEM 2-pin connectors, but @SeeSax bought the one with Dita's Dream specific connectors. So there are regular 2-pin and MMCX connectors, as well as Dream, Fealty/Fidelity and P71 specific connectors (I believe P71 has slightly different MMCX as well).
I'll try to compare to other cables over the next few days, but so far only comparison is with the Dita Truth cable that I mentioned.
Twister6 said the 2-pin doesn't work well with the Legend X sockets for some reason, so it's something to consider. I think Daniel agreed on that.
For $599, I think it's a fair deal for a nice cable. The Awesome plug is of no use to me because I use exclusively 4.4mm, but a very nice implementation and concept and I wish all cables had it. Nothing much else to say other than I think this cable pairs very well with IEMs where you want to bring out the best of the sound signature while adding a nice touch of musicality. It is not a bright cable, but I wouldn't call it warm either. It tames some fairly prominent treble on the Dream while adding a nice body to the bass. Exactly what I wanted sound-wise.
GOOD CABLE = an absence of error. Everything seems more perfect than it has ever been.
We all presumably at some point had our first experience with stereo sounds creating a 3d effect in our heads. Maybe this turned us onto audio. Does it get better goes hand in hand with that for some of us at least.
Does it get better? For me the experience of cables is intrinsic to that question. It is possible that my initial setup (64 audio Trio and sony WM1Z – both pretty natural and clean) magnifies the importance of cables to me. Also I never change the DAP sound settings, I just try and leave it alone as much as possible following initial setup (which was to turn off as much stuff as possible).
So the cable is the EQ for me. It is the colour. It definitely impacts the sound I get. I do think it would be difficult to assess difference via blind test. My R4 cable for example would be impossible to “blind” test for as the ergonomics are so unique that anonymity is impossible.
Just because it isn’t so striking as to be able to necessarily identify by blind test (although I think in some cases I could) doesn’t mean it doesn’t impact on listening experience significantly.
For me after an hour on a bad setup is where I start to hate on it. It's claustrophobic or shrill or confused/chaotic perhaps. Unpleasant. How does another cable help?
My cable experience to date:
1. I bought 64 Audio Trio’s. Started with stock cable into 3.5 mm on WM1z. all the action happens in front of my eyes (so close it also makes me cross eyed). Resolution is very good. Layering is distinct-ish but it's all happening in one tight compressed spot. Fun cable though. Didn’t make poor quality recordings sound sh**.
2. Then I get an Alo Ref 8 with 4.4 mm so I can use the exalted balanced output from WM1z. Sound stage, resolution, holographic effect all dazzle me. I start buying music I hate because it's high res and I crave listening to the way this cable lets me hear “everything”. Don’t listen to most of music collection because it's not High Res. End up buying 3 different copies of "highway 61 revisited" trying to see what different album resolutions sound like. This is one of the great things that happened in this period is I started being able to actual listen to what was on a record and it re-ignited interest in music that was tired for me. I bought the silverfi r4. I was in heaven. Sometimes I would listen to BW PX instead of Alo ref8 on train because sounded pretty good even though Bluetooth (in hindsight I was looking for warmth – alo ref8 stabs your ears a bit).
3. silverfi R4 I listened to whilst I was also going thru break in phase. I would leave it playing overnight but listen everyday. Over the burn in the resolution massively improved. Went overall from like cloudy day to beautiful sunny day.
4. R4 was like having an expert tweaking setup for each song. The expert had ears that were golden. He/she (really it is a he and his name is Sezai and he is a very nice chap) always got it right. Treble never jangly but still it shimmered under golden light. Bass tight and visceral with no bleed into anything else. Huge amounts of space (like the band had setup in a warehouse rather than a stage). With the 4.4 mm it was almost too much space. Reduced emotion maybe. Anyway I fixed that, I used the r4 commuting and it broke! Silverfi told me there are 12 cables being soldered onto the 4.4 mm plug and its just not robust. So I shipped it back and they put it on 3.5 mm
5. Meanwhile im listening to the BW PX more and more because (in hindsight) the Alo Ref 8 is just hellish bright with my setup (and im too dumb to actually change EQ settings).
6. R4 comes back with 3.5mm. I feel like its gotten cloudier which I wonder might be new connection stuff not burnt in.
7. On r4 I listen to high res kate bush. Because r4 will never let anything thru gate that is too bright for my ears I can turn it up a bit. The song “feel it” by kate bush quite literally gives me feelings and I start crying like a baby (I’m 44). Why am I crying? Because it's just so beautiful. Every single second of it and i'm in the face of kate bush’s genius and it is too much. A person who couldn’t sing a false note. and the composition! Staggering.
8. The r4 ergonomics are unworkable for travel though and so i'm in a quandry. Finally I think I understand that the alo ref8 is killing my overall system (which i mainly listen to whilst commuting). The r4 can’t help because it can’t leave the house.
9. So then I buy a PW audio 1950s. 2nd hand it didn’t kill me and lucky enough to get from a fellow Sydney based head fier. I have never heard this cable before. 3.5 mm termination. Already burnt in.
10. The cable is a revelation! Firstly its ergonomics (less mic than alo ref8 (alo ref8 is an actual microphone I think) and doesn’t push against iem’s like r4. Sound is so “safe”. Nothing crazy which means I can turn up a bit and know i'm not going to get stabbed in the ears by something. Nothing bright and horrid. Very good detail. Nice width.
11. Over time it keeps getting better and i'm listening to my non high res music collection again. It’s a cable that lets me listen to an aac file without just moaning. It’s a cable that honestly presents stuff. Its clear and it is what it is but its given a nice bit of presentation too, some warmth and some tone.
12. The 1950s is a mini r4. Not as big, not as “golden or fragile”, but fun and punchy with great blacks and lovely tone and very good detail and space. Instruments are contained to themselves and nothing bleeds. But very importantly the detail isn’t overwhelming and musicality is still wonderful. Just like the r4 it feels like a curator is operating the equipment to your constant benefit. And they are sort of leaving everything as natural as can be but always making sure you can hear each instrument and each note.
Indeed, very bizarre. Both Vishnu and I confirmed that Phantom and Legend X 2pin sockets don't fit Oslo cable connectors. While I tested and verified with dozens of other IEMs, and they all work fine with Oslo cable. Probably some tolerance issue with Empire Ears 2pin sockets.
This sounds like every Rhapsodio cable I have. I think the pins are ever so slightly larger, which makes them very secure in all my IEMs, and then makes other cables too loose in my IEMs! Sounds like Oslo is similar.
-Collin-
Edit: also confirming that the angled two-pin version (for Dita Dream) does not fit in Legend X all the way, or even halfway really. It makes contact to at least have a listen and it's a shame because this is an awesome pairigng.
Great fifth post. Welcome to Head-Fi and the SilverFi Fam!
I'm just dropping in to make a quick reply. I'm on hiatus so don't plan to post info/photos on R1 & R4 until mid-summer when I find more time. Please don't reply to this post as I'm just in and out till summer. Just hoping to share some helpful tidbits.
I streamlined my purchasing to only Chord and SilverFi products. Without the two options available, I would just quit this hobby as it would not be worth the pursuit. JMHO.
My R4 ergonomically disappears now. In a "blind" test, I would not notice the difference unless I physically feel the cable width. It's quite comfortable. I have experienced where the ergonomics pull up on the IEMs. That's history with my R4 now. It's probably physically impossible for that to happen with mine. I just have to use cable wraps where the cable touches the back of your ear for cleanliness. But that's no biggie. Cable wraps easily replaceable. I also maybe able to eliminate the microphonics, but not experimenting until summer. So if I was commuting on a train, it would be somewhat portable. No way I would take it outside the old way, the new way I would not mind if it was a commuter train. It completely disappears behind the ears from neck up.
For me after an hour on a bad setup is where I start to hate on it. It's claustrophobic or shrill or confused/chaotic perhaps. Unpleasant. How does another cable help?
Yes, it's important to choose the right equipment. Lots of hyped equipment maybe fine for 30 minutes, but > few hours you need something to be able to live with comfortably ...
4. R4 was like having an expert tweaking setup for each song. The expert had ears that were golden. He/she (really it is a he and his name is Sezai and he is a very nice chap) always got it right. Treble never jangly but still it shimmered under golden light. Bass tight and visceral with no bleed into anything else. Huge amounts of space (like the band had setup in a warehouse rather than a stage). With the 4.4 mm it was almost too much space. Reduced emotion maybe. Anyway I fixed that, I used the r4 commuting and it broke! Silverfi told me there are 12 cables being soldered onto the 4.4 mm plug and its just not robust. So I shipped it back and they put it on 3.5 mm
Ditto on #2. Have you considered using the 4.4 mm plug on a SilverFi R1? That's only 8-wires. I wanted some of the R4 sound while on-the-go, so I took a big risk on obtaining a R1 for this purpose. Fortunately, it worked out. Sezai offers round-braiding for up to 10-wires. I consider the R1 portable except it's a little stiff when putting it away in a case or bag. I just need to eliminate the microphonics and then it should be fine for portable use. I think the R1 is the sweet spot for portable price/performance SQ. I'll take the R1 over 1960's 4-wire, Horus, 1950's or any TOTL portable cable. Mine is tuned to neutral and it's quite a beautiful cable too with the round-braiding.
7. On r4 I listen to high res kate bush. Because r4 will never let anything thru gate that is too bright for my ears I can turn it up a bit. The song “feel it” by kate bush quite literally gives me feelings and I start crying like a baby (I’m 44). Why am I crying? Because it's just so beautiful. Every single second of it and i'm in the face of kate bush’s genius and it is too much. A person who couldn’t sing a false note. and the composition! Staggering.
I may have shed a tear on two.... Makes the journey all worth it.... Anyways, I'll be back in the summer to make a post or two on the SilverFis. I'm out...
CA makes great IEMs but I am really not sure if their ALO cables bring up these IEMs to their fullest potential.
All ALO cables I tested seem somewhat muffled and 2-dimensional in comparison to Leo 2 using Solaris.
Of course, the differences are subtle but enough to feel it. Gold 16 improves quite a bit but it wasn't my signature.
Hmm...wait a minute. Did you maintain the proper 2:1 cable to IEM ratio after selling me two of your cables? Please do not reply without the proper ratio.
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