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

[hakuzen]

ATTENTION: this post is not being updated anymore.
go to https://www.head-fi.org/threads/resistance-of-cables-pics-comments-and-links.907998/
to watch last updated lists.


DC RESISTANCE AND IMPRESSIONS OF SOME CABLES (BELOW 400mΩ, AVERAGE)

Spoiler: pics & comments of cables, part 1

125. 7n occ 4c (copper,furt,MV): 57/57/bad/55..59/59/bad/57..53/53/54/54..64/62/62/71..[36g]
7n occ copper or alloy (let's trust it..), 0.1mm*63-65strands*4cores (equivalent to 20AWG/signal). PU or PVC sleeve. shiny copper color, great look.
best conductivity. total clean sound, reference (bold bass while keeping treble detail).
thick and heavy (36g vs 26g average weight). due to thickness, less flexible and stiffer than others, braid work is a bit loose, the solders into the jack get stressed, so take care of the jack. many sellers.
received one (from 4) with bad or broken solders into the jack.

wire used: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5994
or this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32890538731.html

some links of cable:
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6039
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32900673249.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32915015689.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32890850938.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32905344372.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32923223671.html


128. 7n spc 4c (silver,eid,M): 63..64..58..71..[38g]
silver plated copper version of cable 125, and eidolic styled jack (way better jack and spliter).
sound is slightly different, but likely clean. no sub-bass rumble loss and rich upper mids details.
as stiff as 125.

150, 151. ISN audio hi-fi. 16 cores.
structure: 0.08mm*19(27awg,OD:1mm)*16c [4c/signal:21.3AWG]. total OD:~6.5mm. 52.9g. length:1.29m (between extremes, counting plugs). splitter at 79-80cm.
no ear guides, simple heat shrink plastic as strain reliefs (it could be better, but given the rigidity of the cable, there is low risk of break due to big tangling). metallic matte splitter, polished chin slider (it looks like hard plastic, but could be aluminum).
it's like 2 cables in 1. double width, weight, and conductivity (superb). reasonably flexible for its width, but on the stiff side.

150. C16 (single crystal copper): 78..83..73..86..[52.9g]
warm tilt, bold bass. it looses upper mids and treble detail (noticeable with high resolving iem).

151. S16 (silver plated OCC copper): 82..81..77..88..[50.2g]
clean sound. thinner bass than C16. good to preserve upper-mids and treble resolution.

links:
https://penonaudio.com/isn-c16.html
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-s16.html


160, 161. acrolink 6n occ 8c
structure: 0.10mm*19(25awg)*8c [2c/signal:~22.3AWG]. 6N pcocc copper. PVC sleeve. acrolink plugs.
total diameter:4mm; core diameter:1.1mm. splitter at 83-85cm of jack (30cm to the base of the ear).
thickness together with PVC sleeve makes the cable stiffer than others (like 130, for example). tight braid, long heat shrink plastic as strain relief (less rigid would be better) and ear guides. no chin slider. they come with a very nice hard plastic box with small magnets.
honest decent quality conductor material, superb conductivity. nice repairable plugs.
clean sound. copper version preserves lows better; spc version, mids and highs. in this case, i prefer sound with copper version (better, same level of best cables in the list), but i love purple color of sleeve in spc version (also available in orange and green).

160. acrolink 6n occ 8c (lightgrey,MV): 95..95..91..102..[37g] copper (better sound)

161. acrolink 6n occ spc 8c (purple,MV): 90..99..83..95..[38g] spc (nice colors available)

wire used:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32867317898.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32867337142.html

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000005778029.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000005827469.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000005968089.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000005907891.html
(other plugs and terminations at same shop)


130, 131, 132. pure silver (and "gold"?) plated 7n occ copper (spc). let's trust it.. 0.05mm*48(27awg,OD:1.2mm)*8c UV-PVC [2c/signal:24AWG].
some sellers say it's pure silver wire, golden plated (but it's not). i bet this is one of few chi-cables which are true silver plated (not tin plated).
superb conductivity, very well built (specially 130). very soft and flexible (top one, considering the thickness). another clean sound, reference.
wire used: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5957

130. hck djy1 7n occ spc 8c (brown/gold,eid,M): 100..101..98..111..[33.4g]
eidolic type jack, chin slider; best conductivity from the 3, probably due to jack and solders:

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32952865240.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32952957093.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/33001973013.html


131. 7n occ spc 8c (brown,oyde,M): 107..114..106..125..[31.4g] defective
all brown, oyaide styled jack, no chin slider; received wrong cable twice, and then a defective one (one core is connecting R+ and L- -plug mass-; bad soldering; still unable to unscrew the jack, it seems glued ):

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32901256493.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32922963030.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32901915547.html

132. luna 7n occ spc 8c (brown/gold,furt,M): 121..121..116..151..[31.5g]
lunashops, furutech styled jack, no chin slider:

links (4/8 cores, oyaide/furutech styled jacks):
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5965 (4/8 cores)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32847754222.html (4/8 cores)

other cables using same wire (including terminations for headphones and other iems):
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5979
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32923111127.html
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5975
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5978
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6206
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6207
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5948 (4 cores)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32890074065.html (4 cores)


133. superb conductivity for such a thin wire. material must be true 6n occ, high quality. soft and flexible, although less than (130) due to resistant and durable pvc sleeve.
0.08mm*19(27awg)*8c [2c/signal:24AWG]. many terminations (even custom) for headphones available.
clean sound. reference.
reviewed here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/gucraftsman-headphones-earphones-cables.23451/reviews#review-21214
silver mmcx: pure occ single crystal silver (it could be silver plated 6n occ copper).
GUcraftsman silver 6n occ 8c (grey,alo,MV): 135..133..124..128..[27.5g]

copper mmcx: 6n occ single crystal copper.
GUcraftsman copper 6n occ 8c (light brown,alo,mmcx): 136..143..127..130..[26.8g]

copper 2.5mmTRS (for HE400i).
GUcraftsman copper 6n occ 8c (light brown,alo,2.5TRS): 142..143..133..135

links:
store: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/3879013
links of the cables i've purchased and tested:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32887680475.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32887728749.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32889002978.html
other distributors:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32947794522.html
links of other cables using same wire:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32889502747.html (silver cable)


115. pure silver.. plated copper wire. (TPU insulatedLayer 0.05mm*50 + shield 0.05mm*45)*4c. equivalent to 24.5awg when using shield layer (two cores/wire, so equivalent to 8 cores). shiny white or grey available, great look. soft, but not much flexible, even considering the loose braid.
white: spc+shield 4c[8c] (white silver,oyde,MV): 137/128..136/126..131/131..139/139..[27g]

grey (hck version):

wire used: http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=5932

links:
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6003
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32959055202.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32956288137.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/33005667054.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32879385486.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32880716325.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32885809299.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000006050538.html
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6117
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6081
http://www.lunashops.com/goods.php?id=6066


170. tw cryo 7n up-occ copper litz 4c (copper,eagle,M): 252..254..268..290..[21.46g]
structure: 0.07mm*19(OD:1.08mm/28AWG)*4c taiwan frozen 7n up-occ copper litz (independent shield/enamel of every thread in each core); "frozen and strengthened by American cryo parts".
eagle rhodium plated jack, sandal wood divider and chin slider (no metal). strain relief is stiff (heat-shrink rigid tube); this could be much improved..
mmcx and 2pins terminations, 2.5, 3.5, 4.4mm jacks, available.
it's thinner than i'd like, but litz shielding can give even darker background than wire used in cable 165 (no litz, but thicker); this is confirmed after first AB, but difference is slight.
sound is very clean, reference. dark background, bigger soundstage; definition is so great, that i feel better separation and imaging than the rest.

wire used:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/33008255130.html

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000007909452.html


165. tw cryo 7n up-occ copper 4c (copper+brown,eid,mmcxM): 191..191..187..200..[23.5g]
structure: 0.10mm*16(OD:1.2mm/26AWG)*4c, taiwan 7n frozen up-occ (neotech?), pvc sleeve.
not thick, but acceptable. very good quality conductor material.
only mmcx (with 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4mm jacks) available. these mmcx plugs from Taiwan are wider than average, their quality is superior, preciser mechanized: safe and easier pop in and out. rotate freely. jack and splitter are also very good quality.
not very flexible wire.
sound is very clean, reference. dark background, bigger soundstage; definition is so great, that i feel better separation and imaging than the rest.
overall great quality affordable when around $70.

wire used:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000007390866.html + https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1000007394876.html

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32997339497.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32997399146.html


140. hck djt1 6n gc-occ 8c (brown,alo,M): 293..298..292..302..[17.4g]
length: 133cm (128cm between plugs). alo audio styled plugs, with rubber strain reliefs; tiny splitter, chin slider is tight enough to keep in place; 39-42cm from splitter to plugs.
nicehck 6n gc-occ 8 cores. great quality copper. total thickness equivalent to 28awg.
very clean sound, while being very light and ultra flexible.
you notice the better quality of sound (darker background, deeper stage) with this cable compared with cheaper ones. it preserves lows and mids very well.
one of my top recommendations, when at sales, specially if you need a very light and flexible cable. wish they had a 16 cores version of this wire, to lower the resistance.

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32945688424.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32952044986.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32969718857.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32979040799.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/33004150616.html


168. tw 6n ofc 4c (copper,eid,mmcxM): 164..165..160..179..[24.7g]
structure: 0.10mm*30(OD:1.35mm/25AWG) 5n ofhc, pvc sleeve.
24awg specified of 5N OFHC, but measurements say 25awg. decent conductivity.
only mmcx (with 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4mm jacks) available. these mmcx plugs from Taiwan are wider than average, their quality is superior, preciser mechanized: safe and easier pop in and out. rotate freely. jack and splitter are also very good quality.
not very flexible wire.
sound is clean enough, although i prefer 165 by far. overall good quality and nice look, great value when around $35, because of the look and plugs.

links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32993421593.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32995734707.html

pics & comments of cables, part 2

pics & comments of cables, part 3

3.5mm trs to 2.5mm trrs (balanced) adapters

for cheaper cables, check:
DC resistance of some cables for KZs (below $40, approx.)

measurement and calculation methods:
measurement of DC resistance of cables part 1 and part 2
calculation of resistance of a cable, given conductor material, structure, and length


low resistance is symptom of quality of wires, plugs, and solders (together with total thickness of the conductor, of course).
low resistance is important to get minimum total output impedance (of course, if your source output impedance is high, total will be high regardless of cable resistance), in order to minimize tonal alterations when using iems with balanced armatures.
it's also convenient to decrease attenuation and to increase damping factor and efficiency.
(considering my gear, i aim to cables below 200mΩ resistance, ~26awg).

cables don't sound, they can only degrade sound more or less.
material and quality of the conductor, plugs, and sleeves, contribute to minimize degradation.
usual measurements don't reveal significant differences in tonality nor distortion. but when rolling cables while listening music, many of us find differences about background noise, thickness, definition, separation, and imaging. they are not big differences, but noticeable.
the ideal cable wouldn't degrade sound, so you could reach the limits of your source and phones.

when you plan to buy a cable, you should consider all this. if your sources and/or phones have low quality, it's absurd to get a fancy expensive cable: the bottleneck won't be in the cable.
once you get decent quality gear, you have to remember than in audio every next upgrade is more expensive to get smaller improvement. the limit is your perfectionism grade, and your wallet.
a good idea is to keep proportion, or to pass when you know that the improvement is not worth it compared to the cost.
read this.

this list pretends to be a compendium of recent cables, which provide good value (affordable decent quality). most are chinese (chi-cables).
the number preceding each cable is chosen arbitrarily as convenient identification.

resistance, in mΩ: left, right, groundL, groundR or L+, R+, L-, R- (balanced). and [weight], in g.
measured with high precision multimeter.

notations:
wire material:
tpc= tin or alloy plated copper; spc= silver plated copper (better)
ofc=oxygen free copper; scc=single crystal copper; occ=oh-no continuous casting copper or variants
<num>c=number of cores
color:
silver= white/silver; copper= orange/pink; brown= brown/dark copper; gold= yellow
chinese jack style (metallic):
eid= eidolic; oyde= oyaide; furt=furutech; alo=alo audio
M: mmcx/2pins and 3.5/2.5/4.4mm balanced terminations available
V: different terminations for headphones, and not standard terminations for earphones

cleanest sound with cables (atm and imo, after listening round up of a few cables):
170, 165, 125, 128, 130-132, 133, 151, 160, 140.
my actual favorites, in terms of sound, are cables 170 and 165, followed by 125 and 128.

(125) 7n occ 4c (copper,furt,MV).................................57/57/bad/55..59/59/bad/57..53/53/54/54..64/62/62/71..[36]
(128) 7n spc 4c (silver,eid,M)........................................63..64..58..71..[38]
(150) isn audio C16 scc 16c (copper,M).......................78..83..73..86..[52.9]
(151) isn audio H16 spc 16c (white,M)..........................82..81..77..88..[50.2]
(065) jcally 5n ofc/tpc 4c (copper,cheap furt,MV)..........88/86..89/89..90/82..92/93..[36]
(065) jcally 5n tpc 4c (dark blue,cheap furt,MV)............84..184..80..107..[34.4]
(160) acrolink 6n occ 8c (light grey,MV)........................95..95..91..102..[37]
(161) acrolink 6n occ spc 8c (purple,MV)......................90..99..83..95..[38]
(052) tpc 8c (gold,eid,M)...............................................96..99..91..104..[27.5]
(130) hck djy1 7n occ spc 8c (brown/gold,eid,M)..........100..101..98..111..[33.4]
(131) 7n occ spc 8c (brown,oyde,M).............................107..114..106..125..[31.4] defective (see spoiler)
(132) luna 7n occ spc 8c (brown/gold,furt,M)................121..121..116..151..[31.5]
(053) hck ct1 ofc 8c (brown,slim plugs,M).....................110..avg (115 mmcx)..[27]..many measured
(145) zsfs tpc 8c (brown,slim plugs,ath-im02,V)............117..118..112..132
(051) tpc 8c (grey,eid,M)...............................................128..128..126..138..[27.4]
(066) jcally 5n tpc 8c (black,cheap furt,MV)..................249..130..126..126..[29.2]
(133) gucraftsman silver 6n occ 8c (grey,alo,MV).........135..133..124..128..[27.5]
(133) gucraftsman copper 6n occ 8c (brown,alo,MV)....136/142..143/143..127/133..130/135..[26.8] (mmcx/2.5mmTRS)
(115) spc+shield 4c[8c] (grey/white silver,oyde,MV).......137/128..136/126..131/131..139/139..[27]
(052) tpc 8c (silver,eid)...................................................130..avg..many measured
(053) hck tdy1 tpc 8c (silver,slim plugs,M)......................134/155..163/150..132/138..148/152
(168) tw 6n ofc 4c (copper,eid,mmcxM)..........................164..165..160..179..[24.7]
(120) bgvp 6n occ+spc? 8c (grey) =DM6 stock..............169..173..277..190
(052) tpc+ofc? 8c (silver+copper,eid,M)..........................135/131..131/132..190/184..208/240
(110) 7n spc 16c (silver,viablue).....................................165..145..155..155
(052) tpc 8c (copper,eid,M).............................................180..avg..[24.7]..(many measured)
(052) tpc 8c (brown,eid,M)..............................................188..188..185..185
(100) impactAudio infinite copper 5n 4c (custom,MV).....190..190..182..180
(165) tw 7n up-occ 4c (copper+brown,eid,mmcxM).........191..191..187..200..[23.5]
(060) hck ct3 ofc 8c (brown,furt,M)..................................206/210..206/204..200/205..486/195..[19]
(055) tpc 16c (silver,oyde,M)...........................................221/232..218/236..221/221..232/235
(063) hck tdy3 tpc 16c (black,furt,M)...............................223..226..225..230..[21.9]
(062) hck ct2 ofc 16c (brown,furt,M)................................402..259..239..244..[22.5]
(070) tpc 16c (pink,eid,M)................................................240..240..237..252..[22.2]
(054) lz 6n frozen spc 8c (brown,M).................................240..240..240..300
(155) "silver" spc 8c (silver,eid,MV).................................256/254..258/249..245/245..260/246..[23.4]
(050) tpc 8c (black,oyde,M).............................................260..270..260..260
(059) kz tpc 8c (silver+gold,oyde,M).................................281..278..250..255..[17.9]
(081) audbos/tenhz p4 pro stock spc/tpc? 4c (silver)......282/282..283/279..275/275..275/275
(105) 7n silver 4c (silver,mps).........................................300..290..280..280
(140) hck djt1 6n gc-occ 8c (brown,alo,M)......................293..298..292..302
(170) tw 7n up-occ lizt 4c (copper,eagle,M).....................252..254..268..290..[21.5]
(057) hck spc 8c (silver,furt,M)........................................310..303..302..319
(080) tin audio t2 stock spc/tpc? 4c (silver,furt) ..............331..325..318..319
(082) toneking t4 stock spc/tpc 8c (blue+black)..............348..341..358..357
(061) hck tdy4 spc 8c (black,furt,M)................................350..avg..[17.4]..(many measured)
(037) kz mmcx tpc 4c (silver,oyde)...................................384..384..375..376
(056) trn spc 6n occ 8c (silver+black,cheapBal furt,M)....423/414..219/216..289/244..150/223
(056) trn spc 6n occ 8c (yellow+silver,cheapBal furt,M)...429..289..265..137
(056) trn spc 6n occ 8c (yellow+silver,cheap furt,M)........454..219..135..267
(058) kz tpc+ofc 8c A(0.75) (silver+copper,oyde,M).........216..213..479..503
(058) kz spc+ofc 8c B(0.78) (silver+copper,oyde,M)........541..552..222..220
(050) tpc 8c (gold,oyde,M)...............................................346..636..374..443

 

[battosai]

DC resistance of some cables (below 400mΩ, average), in mΩ: left, right, groundL, groundR or L+, R+, L-, R- (balanced). and [weight], in g.
for cheaper cables, check:
DC resistance of some cables (below $40, approx.)

measured with high precision multimeter.
low resistance is symptom of quality of wires, plugs, and solders (together with total thickness of the conductor, of course).

notations:
wire material: spc= silver plated copper; tpc= tinned copper; <num>c=number of cores
color: silver= white/silver; copper= orange/pink; brown= brown/dark copper
chinese jack style (metallic): eid= eidolic; oyde= oyaide; furt=furutech
M: mmcx/2pins and 3.5/2.5/4.4mm balanced terminations available
V: different terminations for headphones, and not standard terminations for earphones

(125) 7n occ 4c (copper,furt,MV)......................................57/57/bad 59/59/bad 53/53/54 64/62/62 [36]
(130) hck 7n occ spc 8c (eid,brown/gold,M).....................100 101 98 111 [33]
(053) hck copper 8c (brown,metal slim plugs,M)..............110 avg (115 mmcx) [27] many measured (copper)
(145) zsfs spc 8c (brown,metal slim plugs,ath-im02,V).....117 118 112 132
(133) GUcraftsman silver 6n occ 8c (grey,MV).................135 133 124 128 [27.5]
(133) GUcraftsman copper 6n occ 8c (light brown,MV)....136/142 143/143 127/133 130/135 [26.8] (mmcx/he400i)
(115) silver+shield 4c (white silver,oyde,M).......................137/128 136/126 131/131 139/139 [27]
(052) spc 8c (silver,eid)....................................................134/126/131/131 127/126/140/147 129/127/123/129 129/129/137/146 (spc)
(053) hck spc 8c (silver,metal slim plugs,M)......................134/155 163/150 132/138 148/152 (spc)
(120) bgvp 6n occ+spc 8c (grey) =DM6 stock..................169 173 277 190
(052) spc+copper 8c (silver+copper,eid,M)......................135/131 131/132 190/184 208/240 (spc L/R,copper ground?)
(110) 7n spc 16c (silver,viablue).......................................165 145 155 155
(052) tpc 8c (copper,eid,M)...............................................180 average (many measured, love its color, copper)
(052) tpc 8c (brown,eid,M)................................................188 188 185 185 (copper)
(100) impactAudio infinite copper 5n 4c (custom,MV).......190 190 182 180
(055) spc 16c (silver,oyde,M)............................................221/232 218/236 221/221 232/235
(054) lz 6n frozen copper 8c (brown,M).............................240 240 240 300
(050) spc 8c (black,oyde,M)..............................................260 270 260 260
(081) audbos/tenhz p4 pro stock spc 4c (silver,thin).........282/282 283/279 275/275 275/275
(105) 7n silver 4c (silver,mps)............................................300 290 280 280
(057) nicehck spc 8c (silver,furt,M)....................................310 303 302 319
(080) tin audio t2 stock spc 4c (silver,furt).........................331 325 318 319
(082) toneking t4 stock spc 8c (blue+black)......................348 341 358 357
(037) kz mmcx spc 4c (silver,oyde)....................................384 384 375 376

Spoiler: pics & comments of cables

125. 7n occ copper, 0.1mm*63-65strands*4cores pvc sleeve (equivalent to 20awg/signal). best conductivity. thick and heavy (36g vs 26g average). total clean sound, reference. shiny copper color, great look. many sellers. expensive.
but received one with bad or broken solders into the jack. so quality control of this cable is so-so, and solders are not enough protected.
avoid tricky sellers, they'll try to send you the defective one i'm going to return back. cheap might turn into expensive easily.


130. nicehck pure silver (and "gold"?) plated copper. 0.05mm*48(27awg,OD:1.2mm)*8c UV-PVC [2c/signal:24AWG]. some sellers say it's pure silver wire, golden plated (but probably it's not). superb conductivity, very well built. another clean sound, reference. expensive.


053. best conductivity below $25. some details (strain reliefs, easier repairable plugs) are better in (052). this wire is thicker, softer but less flexible. weight: 27.2g. variants: copper/ mixed copper & silver plated / silver plated (various colors, worse conductivity though).
structure could be: 0.10mm*19(25awg)*8c [2c/signal:22.5AWG]. if true, and wire material/plugs were better quality, it'd measure about 95mΩ (15-20mΩ less).
brown (copper)

silver: different wire, less conductivity


145.this wire looks like (053). in fact, same colors available (orange+white, red+white, silver..). but brown color version of this cable says it's spc, while brown (053) is copper. the wire is not identical, when you close look at it.
this is audio-technica plug version; other non-standard terminations are available.


133. superb conductivity for such a thin wire. material must be true 6n occ, high quality.
0.08mm*19(27awg)*8c [2c/signal:24AWG]. many terminations (even custom) for headphones available.
reviewed here: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/gucraftsman-headphones-earphones-cables.23451/reviews#review-21214
silver mmcx: pure occ single crystal silver

copper mmcx: 6n occ single crystal copper


115. pure silver wire. (TPU insulatedLayer 0.05mm*50 + shield 0.05mm*45) * 4 cores. equivalent to 24.5awg when using shield layer. shiny white, great look.


052. good conductivity, very well built, quite long threaded (repairable and trimmable) plugs; variants: tin plated copper (brown/copper) / copper[gnd]+silver plated copper / silver plated copper.
copper:


120. bgvp spc cable, identical to DM6 stock cable (but this has balanced, straight plug). nice looking (grey and silver), ear guides cover part of the mmcx plug. but strain relief of jack is too short and stiff, conductivity could be better, and one of the solders in my unit was not as good as the others. they give extended info of the cable at product's page, but it doesn't seem to match reality, after measuring it. anyway, one of the best stock cables provided.


110. very thin 16 cores of spc wire.


100. impact audio customized cable. this is not my unit. true eidolic plugs, excellent built and look. voluminous and heavy, due to the thick braided textile sleeve. honest 5n copper cable. pity for us he is taking some vacations now.


055. 16 cores, but worse conductivity than some cheaper 8 cores. (050) is its 8 cores sibling.
silver:


054. 6n frozen copper.. maybe, but thin conductor


050. 2pins version is wrong molded for kz -watch phase!-. you can remold the ear guides.


105. 7n pure silver, bought at nicehck. but it's very thin, so conductivity is not that great.


057. nicehck spc 8 cores. very well built, but thin wire. various colors (and materials?).
silver:


037. kz cheap upgrade cable for mmcx. good conductivity for the price.

Fantastic work! If it is not too much of a hassle, can you please provide some links for the cables you deem worth buying? That would make the post "sticky-worthy"
Thanks

 

[hakuzen]

Fantastic work! If it is not too much of a hassle, can you please provide some links for the cables you deem worth buying? That would make the post "sticky-worthy"
Thanks

thanks, will do it.

 

[kingdixon]

thanks, will do it.

Great effort bro,

Links would help, although i found your feedback on the items on the website

damn, i will have to expand my budget, i might go for 1 mmcx (130) and 2 both types (053), how would you compare the copper alloy one with (130) hck 7n occ spc 8c since they are both on the expensive side ? although its a bit worrying the last one you got was defective.

 

[hakuzen]

Great effort bro,

Links would help, although i found your feedback on the items on the website

damn, i will have to expand my budget, i might go for 1 mmcx (130) and 2 both types (053), how would you compare the copper alloy one with (130) hck 7n occ spc 8c since they are both on the expensive side ? although its a bit worrying the last one you got was defective.

thanks.
i've received (130) yesterday. didn't do a/b between them. i'll tell you, after some more time. but expect similar performance, and you can get (130) at a trusty seller.

 

[Dsnuts]

@hakuzen . Excellent work my friend. Your work will be on the front page. Thanks for your contribution on the threads.

 

[superuser1]

@hakuzen the cable druid

 

[hakuzen]

edited info about cable (125):

suggestion: avoid crap tricky sellers (we all know who they are). you'll receive wrong or damaged cables, will have to make videos of your not sounding cables, etc.

125. 7n occ copper, 0.1mm*63-65strands*4cores pvc sleeve (equivalent to 20awg/signal). best conductivity. total clean sound, reference. shiny copper color, great look.
thick and heavy (36g vs 26g average weight). less flexible and stiffer than others. braid work is loose. the solders into the jack get stressed, they are not well protected. not durable, if you don't take care of the jack. many sellers. expensive.
received one with bad or broken solders into the jack. so quality control of this cable is so-so.

@hakuzen . Excellent work my friend. Your work will be on the front page. Thanks for your contribution on the threads.

thanks, mate, i feel honored! thanks to you, for creating this thread and for your continuous valuable aportation.
but please, add a link to my post, because i use to edit it frequently. planned: adding more cables, adding links to wires used and maybe links to where they can be bought.

@hakuzen the cable druid

thanks, but i haven't earned that title yet: i'll gladly adopt it after completing measurements and comparison of sound parameters

 

[Dsnuts]

Done. added link on first page. I am sure many guys will find it valuable when making a decision on cables.

 

[kingdixon]

Guys, please note when ordering from ali to use store coupons if available, also ordering from their mobile application give special prices for some items,

Cable (130) costs around 132$ from website, from mobile app it is around 107$.

so ordering from mobile app + using store coupon saved me around 30$ for the order

 

[TooPoorForHiFi]

Hello Could you guys recommend some budget friendly MMCX 2.5 Balance Copper Cable that Ships from Amazon? If possible.

If not one from Ali is Fine.

Thanks!

Also, More Core = Better?

EDIT: Are 8 Core worth the extra $10 over the 6 Core? Are the 16 Core worth the Extra $15 over the 8 Core?

 

[Dsnuts]

8 cores seems to be the nice medium between thickness and resistance/ sound. I owned several 4 cores but it also depends on material as well. Ultimately it comes down to cost and quality of the material/ plugs. My 4 core silver cable cost more than most of my other cables and also sounds better than them as well. As per 16 cores. Can't say they have a distinct advantage over an 8 core variety. It probably cost more due to simply having more material used. If you can save a bit on the same cable but in 8 core I would go there. If you want to try a 16 core. Of course that is up to you.

I suppose if you have more cores of a given material that translates into the added effect of the particular material that is being used I can see how doubling a material such as pure copper can add a slight increase in sound that is affected but just how much of a degree is debate able.

 

[hakuzen]

added some links and wires to the list of cables..

 

[AvijitSingh]

I don't know how much you guys are willing to spend but if you are interested there is a dude In Vietnam who runs a store called SatinAudio, its not low end/generic but his cables are 67 regularly and and are currently on sale for for 47usd but shipping is $40, I plan on buying 2 different AWG copper cables, its cheaper for me to buy these two cables then buy one from effect/ALO/PW. If I do order I can report back. I am in Canada so the conversion and shipping on those cables is nuts. Locally they are 200+ tax, so the satin audio ones i can get three of their "lite" cables or 2 of their std cables for the same price. Shipped via ems or DHL. I still feel crazy for spending anything like

Additionally, i found fiio's new cable line to be good. for 35$ and 70.

 

[hakuzen]

added (140) nicehck 6n gc-occ 8c (brown) to the list. as i expected, the quality of the copper could be great (don't know it yet), but again, too thin.