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

[HiFiRobot]

Adding a few more from Ali summer sale.

610 core Single crystal copper silver plated LITZ
or
610 core Copper and Silver mixed twisted LITZ
This one can be customized for headphones also
$24,99 with $2 store coupon for 1,2m @ ZhenZhiAo Store https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256804086619252.html?
+ shipping $5,17

8 shares 240 Cores Silver plating on single crystal copper
This one looks very similar to NiceHCK Spacecloud which is also (15+15)*8 = 240 cores, go figure
Can be customized for headphones
$18,45 with $2 store coupon for 1,2m @ ZhenZhiAo Store https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256803726286988.html?
+ shipping $4,84

 

[JdeFalconr]

Is there a list somewhere within this thread on recommended/top cables? Or should I just browse through here and pick any of them? There are so many I feel like it would be pretty time-consuming to filter through 513 pages of posts. I'm looking for an upgrade on the stock cable of the Blessing 2usk. I'd rather not spend 1/3 of the price of the IEM ($100) on a cable, as much as I'd appreciate the thing, hence why I'm in the budget thread.

 

[WilliamBlake]

Is there a list somewhere within this thread on recommended/top cables? Or should I just browse through here and pick any of them? There are so many I feel like it would be pretty time-consuming to filter through 513 pages of posts. I'm looking for an upgrade on the stock cable of the Blessing 2usk. I'd rather not spend 1/3 of the price of the IEM ($100) on a cable, as much as I'd appreciate the thing, hence why I'm in the budget thread.

you could try with this one

https://penonaudio.com/earphone-cab...ore-upgrade-cable.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

 

[Ufanco]

Is there a list somewhere within this thread on recommended/top cables? Or should I just browse through here and pick any of them? There are so many I feel like it would be pretty time-consuming to filter through 513 pages of posts. I'm looking for an upgrade on the stock cable of the Blessing 2usk. I'd rather not spend 1/3 of the price of the IEM ($100) on a cable, as much as I'd appreciate the thing, hence why I'm in the budget thread.

Here you go!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...fzTm4ei7HEfP8AI1zxswrMw2ho/edit#gid=930033404

 

[JdeFalconr]

Here you go!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...fzTm4ei7HEfP8AI1zxswrMw2ho/edit#gid=930033404

Thank you! Just what I needed. One last dumb question: I see Resistance is mentioned for all of the cables listed there. Do I need to do some research to match that value up against some characteristic of the IEMs I'm using? Or rather - given that there's a Conductance/Price ratio presented (with a note about higher = better value) - is Resistance just being listed as a way to gauge the quality of a cable? That would seem to make sense; the fundamental purpose of a cable is to transmit electrical current so I would think the better it is at doing so the better experience you would have with whatever is on the receiving end.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Do I need to do some research to match that value up against some characteristic of the IEMs I'm using? Or rather - given that there's a Conductance/Price ratio presented (with a note about higher = better value) - is Resistance just being listed as a way to gauge the quality of a cable?

Just get a cable in the A series there and you are fine.

The resistance only matters with very niche iems (BA/hybrid iems with low impedances and uneven impedance curve).

 

[PhonoPhi]

Thank you! Just what I needed. One last dumb question: I see Resistance is mentioned for all of the cables listed there. Do I need to do some research to match that value up against some characteristic of the IEMs I'm using? Or rather - given that there's a Conductance/Price ratio presented (with a note about higher = better value) - is Resistance just being listed as a way to gauge the quality of a cable? That would seem to make sense; the fundamental purpose of a cable is to transmit electrical current so I would think the better it is at doing so the better experience you would have with whatever is on the receiving end.

1/16 is a safe rule (the resistance/impedance of the cables is hardly any factor when it is less than 1/16 of the resistance/impedance of the IEM, up to 1/8 is reasonable.)
In any case, IEMs with the resistance below 12-15 Ohm would be hard on most sources, so the cable will be the least of the problem/worries.
To me personally, the fit of the cable is always the most important for the seal and comfort, then the colours (psychoacoustics matter) and then the resistance, while most of the cables at $12-15+ are decent.

 

[sawdin]

I'm looking for a 2.5mm balanced 0.78mm 2-pin cable for S12. Something not too heavy or stiff and preferably under $50.

Which sellers on Ali have good reputations? Not sure I trust the "ratings" that are listed on most sites.
I belive PENON has a good reputation.
Any recommended brands on Linsoul or HifGo?
I know XINHS will customize (e.g., angle of "hook" for over the ears, etc.) but not sure if their sub-$50 cables are good.

TIA!

 

[Carpet]

I'm looking for a 2.5mm balanced 0.78mm 2-pin cable for S12. Something not too heavy or stiff and preferably under $50.

Which sellers on Ali have good reputations? Not sure I trust the "ratings" that are listed on most sites.
I belive PENON has a good reputation.
Any recommended brands on Linsoul or HifGo?
I know XINHS will customize (e.g., angle of "hook" for over the ears, etc.) but not sure if their sub-$50 cables are good.

TIA!

S12 is a little hot on top, so go for a copper cable rather than SPC or pure silver (an awful lot of planars come with OCC cables as standard). The cheaper ivipQ or XINHS cables (they seen to be same OEM) are fantastic value. Well made with good quality connectors, handle well and sound good. They are also happy to customize cables if you ask. Tripowin, KBEAR and NiceHCK also do good cables. TRN 16 core cables are okay, but not my first choice. I have dealt with all of the following stores and never had any problems.

I V Music Shop Store
XINHS Official Store
DD-Audio Store
KBEAR Official Store
NICEHCK Official Store

 

[sawdin]

S12 is a little hot on top, so go for a copper cable rather than SPC or pure silver (an awful lot of planars come with OCC cables as standard). The cheaper ivipQ or XINHS cables (they seen to be same OEM) are fantastic value. Well made with good quality connectors, handle well and sound good. They are also happy to customize cables if you ask. Tripowin, KBEAR and NiceHCK also do good cables. TRN 16 core cables are okay, but not my first choice. I have dealt with all of the following stores and never had any problems.

I V Music Shop Store
XINHS Official Store
DD-Audio Store
KBEAR Official Store
NICEHCK Official Store

Thanks...greatly appreciate the information!

 

[Steve Dave]

Thanks very much for the guidance guys, I've gone ahead and ordered a couple of cables.
The NICEHCK C16-3 was an easy choice as I needed one with a QDC connector.
Also went for the NICEHCK copper only instead of silver mix as I'm not at the stage of experimenting with changing sound characteristics yet.

Cheers,

Sorry for bringing this up here but I ordered a QDC cable from AE but was sent a standard 2-pin cable.
The seller asked me to open a dispute and request a free return/full refund but they instructed me to put the reason down as 'I no longer need the product' which I wasn't too comfortable with.
I opened a dispute but there was not a 'wrong item sent' option so chose 'item missing'.
AE did not seem to read what I wrote, offered a 50% refund or send a video of the damage (I never mentioned anything about damage??)
I refused the offer, restated my reason for the return and sent them a video and more pictures showing the connectors I ordered and what I got, have not heard back from them yet.
Now the seller has asked me to close and reopen the dispute giving their original suggested reason for return.
This is my first dispute and it is proving to be a bit of a hassle, is there anything dodgy/sus going on or is this just how it goes?

Thanks.

 

[Carpet]

Sorry for bringing this up here but I ordered a QDC cable from AE but was sent a standard 2-pin cable.
The seller asked me to open a dispute and request a free return/full refund but they instructed me to put the reason down as 'I no longer need the product' which I wasn't too comfortable with.
I opened a dispute but there was not a 'wrong item sent' option so chose 'item missing'.
AE did not seem to read what I wrote, offered a 50% refund or send a video of the damage (I never mentioned anything about damage??)
I refused the offer, restated my reason for the return and sent them a video and more pictures showing the connectors I ordered and what I got, have not heard back from them yet.
Now the seller has asked me to close and reopen the dispute giving their original suggested reason for return.
This is my first dispute and it is proving to be a bit of a hassle, is there anything dodgy/sus going on or is this just how it goes?

Thanks.

I've had the whole photo and video hassle where a store claimed the problem wasn't apparent. I ended up sending high power macro photos to show what was readily apparent from the first phone pics I sent. I suspect the reason they want video is that it's harder to source or fake. The dishonest pricks trying to rip you off are probably used to their fellow dishonest pricks, trying to rip them off locally. The narrower the margins, the less likely the store is going to want to refund or replace products. So super cheap prices from shady dealers aren't worth the risk. Some rip off comments are buyers remorse. Three and four star comments contain the "yes, but!" info that gives you an idea of things like "damage through inadequate packaging".

Your best option is to contact them before raising a dispute, and before you leave feedback. That way you have two threats hanging over them, bad feedback as well as a dispute. You only have 14 days after you package is recorded as being received to lodge disputes. Don't let them stall past this. Unfortunately untracked packages get automatically recorded as received after a certain period of time, so tracked is always worth it on expensive items. Tracked does not always work, one of the common frauds is to assign the tracking number of another parcel to you. When that parcel is delivered, yours is flagged as received. They can pick this up sometimes, I recently had an order cancelled and refunded when Aliexpress detected an invalid tracking number. Sellers who have only been active for a short time are always risky, as they can close shop and start from scratch again, when enough people get ripped off and leave bad feedback. Some legit sellers who are rebrands of existing sores (eg. TinHifi or Tangzu official stores) will show up as risky on Alitools. This is also the case with smaller IEM manufacturers who have low volumes of sales. AudioSense or GS Audio fit in this category, dealing with them is as safe as regular suppliers. They just have an atypical sales profile, often they are the only stockists of an IEM.

The last three things to remember are:
1: none of your local protection laws apply to foreign purchases
2: you could still get ripped off buying in your own country
3: the cost savings are a calculated risk, which you can reduce but not eliminate

 

[PROblemdetected]

Ive purchased some of XINHS cables.

The metal plate connectors are amazing, the black ones nope.

I ask for all cables twisted, but the thickness isn't what Ive expected, anyways, the attention of the customer service is amazing.

Im gonna order this cable twisted, I hope got the thickness I look for.

 

[Steve Dave]

I've had the whole photo and video hassle where a store claimed the problem wasn't apparent. I ended up sending high power macro photos to show what was readily apparent from the first phone pics I sent. I suspect the reason they want video is that it's harder to source or fake. The dishonest pricks trying to rip you off are probably used to their fellow dishonest pricks, trying to rip them off locally. The narrower the margins, the less likely the store is going to want to refund or replace products. So super cheap prices from shady dealers aren't worth the risk. Some rip off comments are buyers remorse. Three and four star comments contain the "yes, but!" info that gives you an idea of things like "damage through inadequate packaging".

Your best option is to contact them before raising a dispute, and before you leave feedback. That way you have two threats hanging over them, bad feedback as well as a dispute. You only have 14 days after you package is recorded as being received to lodge disputes. Don't let them stall past this. Unfortunately untracked packages get automatically recorded as received after a certain period of time, so tracked is always worth it on expensive items. Tracked does not always work, one of the common frauds is to assign the tracking number of another parcel to you. When that parcel is delivered, yours is flagged as received. They can pick this up sometimes, I recently had an order cancelled and refunded when Aliexpress detected an invalid tracking number. Sellers who have only been active for a short time are always risky, as they can close shop and start from scratch again, when enough people get ripped off and leave bad feedback. Some legit sellers who are rebrands of existing sores (eg. TinHifi or Tangzu official stores) will show up as risky on Alitools. This is also the case with smaller IEM manufacturers who have low volumes of sales. AudioSense or GS Audio fit in this category, dealing with them is as safe as regular suppliers. They just have an atypical sales profile, often they are the only stockists of an IEM.

The last three things to remember are:
1: none of your local protection laws apply to foreign purchases
2: you could still get ripped off buying in your own country
3: the cost savings are a calculated risk, which you can reduce but not eliminate

Thank you for that, a lot of good things to look out for.

In the end I lost patience with the dispute procedure.
I thought I was being overly fair agreeing to return the wrong cable for a refund.
The dispute system seems to be missing some completely obvious options that I can only think are intentionally missing.
I've learned it's better to ask for a full refund/no return right from the start and negotiate from there no matter what the seller says initially.
Also I get the impression that if the reason for the dispute is that the wrong item was sent, the seller takes a hit on the free return cost but if it's due to an unwanted item, AE cover it.
Hence the seller strongly pushing me towards the latter.
On the plus side you can now cancel one dispute and open another on the same order as long as it's within the window.
I still have a few questions about the process but I realise this is not the right thread for them.

Anyway I've cancelled the dispute and kept the 2-pin cable for future use and managed to get the QDC cable for a reasonably good discount from the same seller, not ideal but it'll do.

Thanks.

 

[mrjayviper]

any thoughts on the quality of cables from either luna shops (https://www.aliexpress.com/store/319162) or hifistore (
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/405877)?

thinking of getting these from lunashop: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000722943727.html

or the pure silver one from hifistore: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004167845988.html

Thank you.

PS. The cables I posted is just an example. the termination will different.