Low end. Cheap. Generic. Otherwise bang for buck cable thread!

[autosleeper]

I’d like to try a pure silver on my DM6 to see whether they would indeed sound leaner. Could anyone recommend one at no more than $100?

 

[facethemusic88]

I’d like to try a pure silver on my DM6 to see whether they would indeed sound leaner. Could anyone recommend one at no more than $100?

What do they sound like now? I have mine coming. Waiting out to see what they sound like before getting nice balanced cable.

 

[josesol07]

the cable won't change tonal signature by any means, regardless of its material and thickness. no tonal alterations.
i think the cable could affect to distortion/thickness, but this is still to be demonstrated. if this was true, you'd get slightly thinner sound with pure silver compared to pure copper or spc. useful for dm6 warm (means thick) sound; less bass rumble, mids body, illusion of lighter bass and more detailed mids and highs.
that's why i prefer pure copper cables for analytical thin sounding iems, and pure silver for thick (warm) sounding iems.
but you can't find decent thick pure silver cables <$20.

Point taken, You just saved me $20. Getting more tonal variations with tip rolling. thanks

 

[-rowan-]

Hi, got BGVP DM6 IEM with the Copper & Silver Plated Copper (C & SPC) cable. Looking for an option that flatens the sound signature, equivalent to the stock Silver Plated Copper (SPC) cable.
Is there anything available on Aliexpress or Amazon USA for less or about $20?
I am overwhelmed by the many options in Aliexpress. Appreciate your help

I’d like to try a pure silver on my DM6 to see whether they would indeed sound leaner. Could anyone recommend one at no more than $100?

To add to hakuzen's comments -

I doubt any cable, regardless of price, is capable of this.

I might get a new cable to improve an IEM if I've established that the stock cable is the bottleneck in its performance. But if I wanted to alter its signature, I would start elsewhere.

Tip rolling, for instance - in my experience at least, spiral dots tend to bring out the highs and mids as well as attenuate the bass. Ymmv, but it could be worth trying if you're after a leaner sound.

Your DAP/source could be another variable - in fact, changing almost anything else in your rig would bring about a more significant difference.

Failing which, I'd flip the DM6 while there's still so much interest in it and continue the search for a flatter IEM

 

[hakuzen]

yep, tip rolling can alter upper-mids and highs (because resonances are altered due to material, length, and tube diameter of the tips).
measured frequency response of a few of them with zs6, and a pair of cables.
tip rolling
2 cables rolling
i plan to make exhaustive comparison of many tips (got several types) and many cables (including distortion in this case). when i can find the time for it (not now)..

 

[hakuzen]

I’d like to try a pure silver on my DM6 to see whether they would indeed sound leaner. Could anyone recommend one at no more than $100?

check in this thread (not so many pages yet), some pure silver affordable cables which could fit your needs have been commented.

 

[autosleeper]

What do they sound like now? I have mine coming. Waiting out to see what they sound like before getting nice balanced cable.

Look, pretty good! Got them two weeks ago and I'm liking them a little more as time goes by. I got them to complement my E5000 as I wanted something more cold and analytical so was initially disappointed by how warm/thick they are (my bad for not doing my research properly before buying). They are a great set of IEMs though, was listening to Bowie's Low this morning and it was the best I've ever heard that record: pure pleasure. (They also look pretty sweet in the clear casing).

Giving up on the silver cable idea, @hakuzen and @-rowan- are undoubtedly correct: tip rolling is the way to go. Would be good to try a different source too as my ZX300 is a warm 'un, but I don't have DAP rolling money

 

[-rowan-]

Giving up on the silver cable idea, @hakuzen and @-rowan- are undoubtedly correct: tip rolling is the way to go. Would be good to try a different source too as my ZX300 is a warm 'un, but I don't have DAP rolling money

Not necessarily. Your cable budget could probably get you a quite decent chi-fi DAP with the kind of sound that suits your needs if the idiosyncratic UI doesn't deter you.

Off the top of my head, the Xduoo X3 skews colder and more 'analytical' and can probably be had for less than $100 these days. There was that pitch problem etc but it's no longer an issue with the rockbox fix. The Fiio X3ii is quite flat and likely quite affordable now that it's been superseded by the mk iii (which I haven't heard). Both are still pretty capable despite being a few years old, but you might find more up-to-date recs in the DAP threads as well.

(My daily DAP is the Cayin N5ii but that's warmish as well so it's not going to suit your needs.)

Anyway, glad the DM6 is growing on you! I don't want to dissuade you from cable-rolling altogether, only temper your expectations of the kind of sonic changes that you're likely to get from it. I don't deny that the changes are sometimes audible (or I wouldn't have ordered a rat's nest of cables during 11.11) - it's just a matter of the other options in the signal chain making the bigger difference.

 

[SBranson]

I have the DM6 with the hybrid cable and find that unless I eq up the 1,2,4 khz region by about 2db they tend to sound a little muffled. With the eq they sound quite good but was thinking of getting a silver cable... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/***...&terminal_id=a93eccb307ab4afca192b0e8039ae845 or I was also looking at this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GZNQK9G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A267P2DT104U3C&psc=1

You think that either would clean up the sound a little? I would've gotten the spc cable but I got them off a treble-shy friend who ordered them with the other cable.

I can live with the eq bump as that seems to correspond on the freq charts with my other iems.

ps... i'm using spiral dot tips at present

 

[hakuzen]

I have the DM6 with the hybrid cable and find that unless I eq up the 1,2,4 khz region by about 2db they tend to sound a little muffled. With the eq they sound quite good but was thinking of getting a silver cable... https://www.aliexpress.com/item/***...&terminal_id=a93eccb307ab4afca192b0e8039ae845 or I was also looking at this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GZNQK9G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A267P2DT104U3C&psc=1

You think that either would clean up the sound a little? I would've gotten the spc cable but I got them off a treble-shy friend who ordered them with the other cable.

I can live with the eq bump as that seems to correspond on the freq charts with my other iems.

ps... i'm using spiral dot tips at present

a cable won't lift those 2dB up in 1,2,4kHz. guess a good quality silver cable could make sound slightly thinner (although this is not demonstrated yet), helping to perceive mids to highs a bit clearer (but not louder compared to other frequencies).

the first cable you linked uses this wire:
7N OCC silver (gold painted) 0.05mm*48(27awg,OD:1.2mm)*4cores UV-PVC sleeve. expect around 240mΩ DC resistance per signal.

the 2nd cable is different; it uses this wire, probably.
99.9% pure Silver (not 7N, worse quality silver probably); TPU insulated layer of 0.05mm*50(27awg) + pure silver shield 0.05mm*45(28awg) OD:1.5mm * 4cores TPU sleeve.
they use shield layer for ground/cold signal probably. so each core carries 2 signal. this way, diameter for signal is equivalent to 24.5awg approximately. mine measured left+:137, right+:136, left-:131, right-:139 mΩ.

so for the same price, you get 2x thicker cable of a supposedly worse quality silver, in case 2 (btw, it's a neat looking wire, so shiny and soft..). you can choose between quality of silver (supposedly) of cable 1 or thickness of cable 2.
or you can go for the 8 cores version of cable 1, which is equivalent to 24awg, to get same thickness than cable 2, of a supposedly better silver quality. i'll receive this cable (8 cores) tomorrow. so shall measure it (expect around 128mΩ dc resistance per signal).
hope i can demonstrate different distortion (or any difference) in high quality cables, different materials, soon. nothing is demonstrated yet.

btw, spiral dots are a good choice for getting louder mids and highs, compared to lows.

 

[SBranson]

a cable won't lift those 2dB up in 1,2,4kHz. guess a good quality silver cable could make sound slightly thinner (although this is not demonstrated yet), helping to perceive mids to highs a bit clearer (but not louder compared to other frequencies).

the first cable you linked uses this wire:
7N OCC silver (gold painted) 0.05mm*48(27awg,OD:1.2mm)*4cores UV-PVC sleeve. expect around 240mΩ DC resistance per signal.

the 2nd cable is different; it uses this wire, probably.
99.9% pure Silver (not 7N, worse quality silver probably); TPU insulated layer of 0.05mm*50(27awg) + pure silver shield 0.05mm*45(28awg) OD:1.5mm * 4cores TPU sleeve.
they use shield layer for ground/cold signal probably. so each core carries 2 signal. this way, diameter for signal is equivalent to 24.5awg approximately. mine measured left+:137, right+:136, left-:131, right-:139 mΩ.

so for the same price, you get 2x thicker cable of a supposedly worse quality silver, in case 2 (btw, it's a neat looking wire, so shiny and soft..). you can choose between quality of silver (supposedly) of cable 1 or thickness of cable 2.
or you can go for the 8 cores version of cable 1, which is equivalent to 24awg, to get same thickness than cable 2, of a supposedly better silver quality. i'll receive this cable (8 cores) tomorrow. so shall measure it (expect around 128mΩ dc resistance per signal).
hope i can demonstrate different distortion (or any difference) in high quality cables, different materials, soon. nothing is demonstrated yet.

btw, spiral dots are a good choice for getting louder mids and highs, compared to lows.

Thanks for such a thorough response. I wish I could predict how they would react with the DM6 based on your measurements. I did a lot of cable rolling many years ago when I was in 2 ch audio but not so much with headphones/iems. Very interesting to see them quantified though.
I jumped on the hype train with the DM6 and though I think they are a great value at their price, I'm not 100% convinced on keeping them. Because my friend bought the cable I wouldn't have chosen, I am constantly wondering if the SPC cable would have resulted in a sound I would prefer.. I know it wouldn't be a drastic change just a slight tilt upwards to seem clearer.

 

[hakuzen]

i also jumped on DM6 hype train, but for only $137. knew they could be warmer (thicker) and darker than i'd wish, wouldn't had jumped on them for retail price.
was hesitating to order toneking t88k, because i love toneking t4 neutral analytical sound, but heard t88k would be quite warmer than t4, and they would cost 3x dm6 price.
for $137 i can try another warm iem, to see if they are a clear improvement over ~$80 warm tenhz pro 4 and audbos p4. dm6 aren't shipped, so i'll be able to cancel the order soon if i regret to try them. i understand you find dm6 mids recessed and grainy (too fat?).
i'll measure and compare various iem cables as soon as possible (not only frequency response, which i already know it's not affected noticeably, but other parameters). shall post results here.

 

[SBranson]

Wow... great prices. I got my DM6 off my friend for what works out to about $165usd. He decided to keep the P4 Pro instead as he found the treble in the DM6 a bit much. We have very different preferences... I tried the p4 pro and thought them to be even less resolving than the DM6. I know that part of my want of a bit more in the upper mids and treble is due to my age and my particular hearing (we get tested at work each year) but in looking at the charts both my EE ESR and my Noble Savants have that lift that I eq'ed into the DM6. Maybe it's just one of those things where listening so long to a kind of signature gives one the sense of what's right over just what's familiar. I'm going to listen to the DM6s until I get used to them.. brain burn in... then do some comparisons. I use the DM6s at work and do notice that sometimes they sound so good that they approach that "uncanny valley" thing where the music "reality" conflicts with the external reality. It's the spatial cues thing... anyway,,, that's truly getting off topic.

I think I'll get the 8 core version of the **** and see what that does...

 

[hakuzen]

Wow... great prices. I got my DM6 off my friend for what works out to about $165usd. He decided to keep the P4 Pro instead as he found the treble in the DM6 a bit much. We have very different preferences... I tried the p4 pro and thought them to be even less resolving than the DM6. I know that part of my want of a bit more in the upper mids and treble is due to my age and my particular hearing (we get tested at work each year) but in looking at the charts both my EE ESR and my Noble Savants have that lift that I eq'ed into the DM6. Maybe it's just one of those things where listening so long to a kind of signature gives one the sense of what's right over just what's familiar. I'm going to listen to the DM6s until I get used to them.. brain burn in... then do some comparisons. I use the DM6s at work and do notice that sometimes they sound so good that they approach that "uncanny valley" thing where the music "reality" conflicts with the external reality. It's the spatial cues thing... anyway,,, that's truly getting off topic.

I think I'll get the 8 core version of the **** and see what that does...

thanks, you've given golden info about dm6 to me.
yea, i think you've made the right choice; for a bit more, you get the chance to get the thicker and better quality wire: got mine for $66 usd at 11.11 after using $10 ali coupon, plus select and store coupons and discounts. so if you dare about getting a good price and you aren't in a hurry, check often your shopping cart in your mobile (there are two shops offering discount of this item frequently), to find a suitable price.
and don't forget to tell the seller to pay attention to ship the right cable. first time i ordered this cable, i received the cable of your 2nd link. at last, i kept it for around $44 usd, but i don't know if it's a good idea to use shield layering as cold signal in balanced (well, there shouldn't be noticeable interference in a 1.2m iem cable, so guess it's ok).
if you don't mind to pay a bit more, to choose color of the cable, and plugs style, check this link:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32847754222.html

 

[LaughMoreDaily]

i'll measure and compare various iem cables as soon as possible (not only frequency response, which i already know it's not affected noticeably, but other parameters). shall post results here.

This quote is holding you to it. Thanks!