[HombreCangrejo]

I’ve got one arriving in the next day or so. Happy to report how it performs.

Waiting for your impressions. Something similar to the BlackCat, perhaps? I have that one, and for me it's the best match for my EDP ACE. Instead, I don't like that much PurpleSE, at least on ACE. I have to try it in a different IEM.

 

[Echalon]

Waiting for your impressions. Something similar to the BlackCat, perhaps? I have that one, and for me it's the best match for my EDP ACE. Instead, I don't like that much PurpleSE, at least on ACE. I have to try it in a different IEM.

The BlackSoul arrived, so some impressions:

It looks like the pictures, but needs a good amount of light for the gold to glitter along the cable. It is about as thick as CafeFlag/SkyFlag, which is significantly thicker than most. Slightly microphonic as you might expect for a thicker cable, but not too bad. The feel is less premium than I hoped, as the cable is slightly rough and the metal hardware feels a bit cheap compared to similarly priced NiceHCK cables. It doesn’t feel bad, just a bit less premium.

So far I have only tried these for about an hour with the Erasmus IEMs, so my impression of the sound will be limited. The sound seems to be a little dark: treble is resolving but slightly diminished, bass and particularly sub-bass seem slightly emphasised. Clarity is decent, with none of the muffled quality some darker cables exhibit due to a small boost in the presence region (introducing an occasional hint of sibilance). Volume is a bit quieter than average, presumably because it is easier to reduce treble and mids than to truly boost bass.

Sonically I’m happy - if I want a brighter cable then I can use one with silver plating. The BlackSoul goes the other way, warm and rumbling while still musical. I initially paired it with the Erasmus because of the gold & black colours but might actually keep it with them in place of the Penon OS133 I was using. The OS133 is similarly priced and honestly is a better cable, but the extra warmth really suits the Erasmus.

The BlackSoul is clearly not at the higher end of NiceHCK’s offerings, with only a mediocre build quality. But the cost reflects this, and it offers striking looks and a useful sound signature: warm and musical. Recommended if that appeals to you.

[As with all NiceHCK cables, get this on the frequent sales. Their full price is excessive.]

 

[infin]

Anyone have thoughts on this cable? I'm realizing I'd rather spend more to get a cable that's not braided with many strands for purely aesthetic reasons. Currently falling down a dangerous rabbit hole right now, but the budget is still capped at $20 USD

 

[Echalon]

Anyone have thoughts on this cable? I'm realizing I'd rather spend more to get a cable that's not braided with many strands for purely aesthetic reasons. Currently falling down a dangerous rabbit hole right now, but the budget is still capped at $20 USD

Lol, I have that one too. It’s a good cable, especially at that price. Nice full sound and feels solid and well made. There’s a slight dip in the mids that adds clarity and focus without sounding weak.

 

[ExTubeGamer]

My NiceHCK BlackSoul has already been shipped. That was fast.

I expected a similar sound like the BlackCat that I already own. Warm and melodic is roughly the sound signature that I am looking for in a cable, so that would be perfect. My cable collection is finished once this cable arrives at my doorstep. When the cable has arrived I am surely gonna do some A-B testing with my favorite IEM and post the results in this thread.

 

[Echalon]

My NiceHCK BlackSoul has already been shipped. That was fast.

I expected a similar sound like the BlackCat that I already own. Warm and melodic is roughly the sound signature that I am looking for in a cable, so that would be perfect. My cable collection is finished once this cable arrives at my doorstep. When the cable has arrived I am surely gonna do some A-B testing with my favorite IEM and post the results in this thread.

My impression of the BlackCat was that it is more mid-focused, making it great for adding balance and body to V tuned IEMs. Currently using it on my Blon BL03, where it makes the sound a little more refined. Very curious what your impressions are, as so much of this is subjective!

 

[ExTubeGamer]

My impression of the BlackCat was that it is more mid-focused, making it great for adding balance and body to V tuned IEMs. Currently using it on my Blon BL03, where it makes the sound a little more refined. Very curious what your impressions are, as so much of this is subjective!

Cables change the sound on very resolving IEMs. The effect is much more audible then on a budget IEM. My TSMR Sands changes a lot with a new cable. It's almost like the a tuning filter.

 

[Echalon]

Cables change the sound on very resolving IEMs. The effect is much more audible then on a budget IEM. My TSMR Sands changes a lot with a new cable. It's almost like the a tuning filter.

Honestly, I find most cables offer some degree of tuning (whether deliberate or not). Even less sensitive IEMs can have their sound affected to some degree.

There appears to be a stigma in admitting that cables affect sound, because a good conductor should just conduct. That is true of digital signals, partly true for DC signals, but is not at all true of the analogue signals used for music. Wires can and do have frequency dependent properties which are related to the materials and method of construction.

Does this mean that the $1000 diamond-studded gold and palladium cable magically makes everything sound better? Of course not. As with all things that adjust tuning, it needs to be matched well and to the preference of the person listening.

Another common argument is that if we buy an expensive cable then we are invested in thinking it sounds better. While that can happen, it is also true that when the cable arrives we can be sorely disappointed. I got the Xinhs equivalent of the WhiteCrane cable to use on the Mega5P and found it unbalanced and piercing. Both cable and IEM are good, but a poor match to my ears as both have peaks at the same place in the spectrum. The BlackCat is another one that disappointed at first until I found a use for its specific sound.

Sorry for the mini rant, I just felt this was a relatively safe space to answer the common fallacies about cables. Nobody has to get fancy cables - even cheap ones can be perfectly good. But to deny that they can affect the sound is to miss out on part of the audiophile equation.

 

[rayliam80]

Looks like thick one, looks more premium.

What the h_ll is the cable materials

Sometimes, I'm over at the Watercooler thread just reading/lurking over there. The wire coating/appearance makes me think of the Liquid Links Venom cable that some have talked about in the recent past.

 

[BatBoyP]

Honestly, I find most cables offer some degree of tuning (whether deliberate or not). Even less sensitive IEMs can have their sound affected to some degree.

There appears to be a stigma in admitting that cables affect sound, because a good conductor should just conduct. That is true of digital signals, partly true for DC signals, but is not at all true of the analogue signals used for music. Wires can and do have frequency dependent properties which are related to the materials and method of construction.

I was a bit anxious, but mainly very curious, when I bought a 4c single crystal copper (no silver plating) Xinhs for my Meze Advar. The Advar is by nature quite bright with a serious peak on 8KHz. As I can't always EQ it everywhere, I wanted to try out pure copper instead of the silver plated default cable that comes with it. The only other difference in my setup is that my copper cable is 4,4mm whereas the silver plated is 3,5mm. Both go into an iFi Go Bar.

Well, the cable does what I want it to do. It rounds off the highs much better. With silver plating, they're not so much harsh, just too prominent. With the copper, it's much more acceptable.

I like it to such an extent that I'm considering getting a silver plated version of the same cable for my Audeze LCD-2 closed back. I contacted Xinhs via AliExpress chat to ask if he can do the mini-XLR connectors for that headphone and he replied immediately, yes, with $10 surplus. I'm currently using this headphone straight on the headphone out of a rather esoteric audio interface Expert Sleepers ES-9. It's an audio interface that sits in a modular synth. The idea is to take the balanced jacks out, send them to an L30 ii, and plug the Audeze with the Xinhs into that. Very curious, and a bit anxious, how that will sound!

 

[infin]

Lol, I have that one too. It’s a good cable, especially at that price. Nice full sound and feels solid and well made. There’s a slight dip in the mids that adds clarity and focus without sounding weak.

Thanks for the insight! I'm even more interested in this cable now.

 

[Carpet]

My cable collection is finished once this cable arrives at my doorstep.

Oh really? No cableaholics have ever said this before!

 

[BS0D]

Nice HCK OrangeSir is on sale with coupon again at NiceHCK Audio Store.

There are coupons on others there too, I'm a fan of the PurpleSE. Prices with coupon aren't quite as good as the Xmas and Black Friday sales, but close!

OrangeSir

PurpleSE

Thanks for the advice. Picked up Maple Flagship @$66.77 & C16-3 @13.01.

Did also grab FiiO LC-RE Pro 2022, not excatly 'low end' but after reading opinions, sounded like a good end all option and better build than Reference 8.

Do own FiiO LC-D (Monocrystalline Pure Silver) and find build quailty is top notch.

Cheers

 

[Mmet]

Cables change the sound on very resolving IEMs. The effect is much more audible then on a budget IEM. My TSMR Sands changes a lot with a new cable. It's almost like the a tuning filter.

I can't forget the moment when -as a cable denier - i inserted a cheap generic cable in my shure se535 .. the very first moment of listening : " where the heck my bass gone ?!!"
Sudden audible very apparent bass drop with harshness of upper mids !!
Even after that i convinced my self that it was my mind playing tricks on me ... unfortunately the previous cable (yi****) was damaged hence i wasn't able to do a comparison between both ... Till a friend of mine came an had a listen and he is very familiar with se535 sound .. i found him removing them then told me : buddy .. what the hell did you do with your shures ?!!! .. and he told me exactly my same impression the first moment i listen to them after that generic cable !!! ( I didn't tell him my thoughts )
SO IT IS NOT MY MIND PLAYING TRICKS ON ME !!

I told him that i just changed the cable - as a cable denier too and a bit close minded one .. he refused to accept that ...

But now i know better .. it is the damned piece of wire that made that change

I made some extensive research to find out about the impedance of cables .. impedance of multi driver iems .. and most importantly for me .. the impedance curve of my shure

So , I've learnt now by my own personal experience somethings :
1- cables matter a lot with low impedance - non linear multi driver iems .
2- the cost doesn't matter in terms of technicalities as long as well built nice material cable with low resistance will do perfectly fine .
3- the higher the cost will get you nicer materials .. nicer look .. peace of mind in terms of durability ... And of course they are more prestigious .

That is my 2 cents in ...

 

[cfc7]

I was a bit anxious, but mainly very curious, when I bought a 4c single crystal copper (no silver plating) Xinhs for my Meze Advar. The Advar is by nature quite bright with a serious peak on 8KHz. As I can't always EQ it everywhere, I wanted to try out pure copper instead of the silver plated default cable that comes with it. The only other difference in my setup is that my copper cable is 4,4mm whereas the silver plated is 3,5mm. Both go into an iFi Go Bar.

Well, the cable does what I want it to do. It rounds off the highs much better. With silver plating, they're not so much harsh, just too prominent. With the copper, it's much more acceptable.

I like it to such an extent that I'm considering getting a silver plated version of the same cable for my Audeze LCD-2 closed back. I contacted Xinhs via AliExpress chat to ask if he can do the mini-XLR connectors for that headphone and he replied immediately, yes, with $10 surplus. I'm currently using this headphone straight on the headphone out of a rather esoteric audio interface Expert Sleepers ES-9. It's an audio interface that sits in a modular synth. The idea is to take the balanced jacks out, send them to an L30 ii, and plug the Audeze with the Xinhs into that. Very curious, and a bit anxious, how that will sound!

Same here, with Advar sounding less prominent in the mids and highs and more enjoyable with a XINHS copper cable vs. a Penon silver plated one.