[hakuzen]

FYI, I screwed up on this. Upon further inspection there are 6 cores. I hadn’t untwisted the wires all the way. There’s definitely 6 cores. 3 on each side.

My guess is 2 are for the ground, 2 are going to R+ and 2 are going to L+. Because the resistance measurements are very balanced between all 3 poles, with the exact same resistance measurement on each pole.

Whereas on the TRN 8-core upgrade cable, the resistance is lopsided because there’s a different number of wires going to each pole.

Sorry for the false alarm or any confusion I caused. I edited my post to remove any confusion.

if 6 cores, and distribution of cores is: 2 cores for L+, 2 cores for R+, 1 core for L ground, 1 core for R ground, you'd get around half resistance in L+ and R+ signals than L and R ground

 

[Slater]

if 6 cores, and distribution of cores is: 2 cores for L+, 2 cores for R+, 1 core for L ground, 1 core for R ground, you'd get around half resistance in L+ and R+ signals than L and R ground

I wasn’t using balanced. It was unbalanced cable. So 2 cores for each.

And yes, there is 1 going to L- and 1 going to R-. But they’re effectively merged together at the gnd terminal of the TRS plug.

Only for a balanced plug would they remain totally separate. And TRN doesn’t offer a balanced option of this exact cable (yet).

After seeing how lopsided the measurements were on the 8-core version, I was pleased at the how even the resistance measurements were across all 3 terminals of this 6-core cable.

 

[hakuzen]

I wasn’t using balanced. It was unbalanced cable. So 2 cores for each.

And yes, there is 1 going to L- and 1 going to R-. But they’re effectively merged together at the gnd terminal of the TRS plug.

I was honestly surprised at the how even the resistance measurements were with this cable across all 3 terminals.

Only for a balanced plug would they remain totally separate. And TRN doesn’t offer a balanced option of this exact cable (yet).

yes, i meant single end. that's why i specified L ground and R ground (not L- and R-).
both ground cores go together at jack sleeve, but one core goes to each side. when you measure resistance between ground of L plug and jack sleeve, you get the resistance of only that core, and it should be half the resistance than when measuring L resistance (if two cores used).

 

[Slater]

yes, i meant single end. that's why i specified L ground and R ground (not L- and R-).
both ground cores go together at jack sleeve, but one core goes to each side. when you measure resistance between ground of L plug and jack sleeve, you get the resistance of only that core, and it should be half the resistance than when measuring L resistance (if two cores used).

Not sure why they all measured the same. I know it’s not a fluke, as @KopiOkaya is getting the same measurements between all pins as well:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/trn-impressions-thread.881761/page-15#post-14999058

Perhaps the gnd wire uses a slightly lower gauge?

 

[hakuzen]

Not sure why they all measured the same. I know it’s not a fluke, as @KopiOkaya is getting the same measurements between all pins as well:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/trn-impressions-thread.881761/page-15#post-14999058

Perhaps the gnd wire uses a slightly lower gauge?

maybe.. or two cores aren't being used, and only 1 core used for each signal

 

[Slater]

maybe.. or two cores aren't being used, and only 1 core used for each signal

That would be pretty sad, if wires are there for looks but aren’t even being used!

I have always wondered how some of these companies are soldering 16 wires to 3 tiny little terminals. I’ve made my own aux cables for headphones, and the 3.5mm terminals are very, very small. It is quite suspicious.

 

[hakuzen]

That would be pretty sad, if wires are there for looks but aren’t even being used!

I have always wondered how some of these companies are soldering 16 wires to 3 tiny little terminals. I’ve made my own aux cables for headphones, and the 3.5mm terminals are very, very small. It is quite suspicious.

yup, they are tiny indeed. but 4 cores of a 16 cable use to be thinner than 1 core of some 4 cores cables, or 2 cores of some 8 cores cables. tricky in every case.
i have to diy one cable now, 2.5mm plugs, and i'm scared

 

[Slater]

Ok, something fishy is going on.

I measured the stock TRN 4-core cable, and I am getting the same resistance reading as the much thicker 6-core ‘upgrade’ cable.

• Stock black TRN 4-core wire: 0.8ohm GND, 0.8ohm L+, 0.8ohm R+
• Silver TRN 4-core upgrade wire: 0.6ohm GND, 0.6ohm L+, 0.6ohm R+
• Black TRN 6-core upgrade wire: 0.8ohm GND, 0.9ohm L+, 0.8ohm R+

I’m thinking about taking 1 for the team, and dissecting the 6-core cable to see what exactly is going on.

I don’t want to believe what I think might going on...

Either they’re using really poor quality copper for the 6-core wires, or they’re only connecting 4 of the wires like has been suggested. Or maybe I’m just going crazy. But I’ve measured it multiple times with 2 different multimeters. There must be an explanation.

Now, granted resistance doesn’t tell the whole story with the quality of a cable. But c’mon, something isn’t adding up when these 2 cables are measuring exactly the same. Why even get an upgrade cable - I may as well use the thin stock one. Or better yet, the thin silver TRN upgrade one that’s been out for years now (which has the lowest resistance of all 3).

 

[courierdriver]

Ok, something fishy is going on.

I measured the stock TRN 4-core cable, and I am getting the same resistance reading as the much thicker 6-core ‘upgrade’ cable.

• Stock black TRN 4-core wire: 0.8ohm GND, 0.8ohm L+, 0.8ohm R+
• Silver TRN 4-core upgrade wire: 0.6ohm GND, 0.6ohm L+, 0.6ohm R+
• Black TRN 6-core upgrade wire: 0.8ohm GND, 0.9ohm L+, 0.8ohm R+

I’m thinking about taking 1 for the team, and dissecting the 6-core cable to see what exactly is going on.

I don’t want to believe what I think might going on...

Either they’re using really poor quality copper for the 6-core wires, or they’re only connecting 4 of the wires like has been suggested. Or maybe I’m just going crazy. But I’ve measured it multiple times with 2 different multimeters. There must be an explanation.

Now, granted resistance doesn’t tell the whole story with the quality of a cable, but c’mon something isn’t adding up when these 2 cables are measuring exactly the same. Why even get an upgrade cable - I may as well use the thin stock one.

Yeah, that kinda sounds like they might be gypping the consumer somehow. Something doesn't seem straight. I'd be pretty pissed if I bought a six core, only to find out later that it was really a 4 core.

 

[Slater]

Yeah, that kinda sounds like they might be gypping the consumer somehow. Something doesn't seem straight. I'd be pretty pissed if I bought a six core, only to find out later that it was really a 4 core.

Absolutely!

But let me repeat that I’m NOT saying that is what’s going on (at this point, anyways). I have no proof one way or the other. Yet.

I tried doing non-destructive testing using a sewing needle poked through the wire as a conductivity test point (ie as a way to see ‘inside’ the wire using the needle as a probe). But it seems they’re using individually enameled wire, so the needle test won’t work.

The only way to truly test the cable is to destructively cut it apart. Even though it was $5, I hate to destroy a perfectly good cable.

 

[courierdriver]

Absolutely!

But let me repeat that I’m NOT saying that is what’s going on (at this point, anyways). I have no proof one way or the other. Yet.

I tried doing non-destructive testing using a sewing needle poked through the wire as a conductivity test point (ie as a way to see ‘inside’ the wire using the needle as a probe). But it seems they’re using enameled wire, so that test will not work.

The only way to truly test the cable is to destructively cut it apart. Even though it was $5, I hate to destroy a perfectly good cable.

Hope you rip that thing apart and find the truth. I absolutely HATE dishonest business practices. Dude, you gotta do it. If it's legit, then you only lost 5 bucks. If it's false advertising, then you saved many on this forum from spending their extra hard earned coin on a cable that's no better than the 4 core. I hope that it might be a simple flaw in your example, but still...

 

[BadReligionPunk]

Ok, something fishy is going on.

I measured the stock TRN 4-core cable, and I am getting the same resistance reading as the much thicker 6-core ‘upgrade’ cable.

• Stock black TRN 4-core wire: 0.8ohm GND, 0.8ohm L+, 0.8ohm R+
• Silver TRN 4-core upgrade wire: 0.6ohm GND, 0.6ohm L+, 0.6ohm R+
• Black TRN 6-core upgrade wire: 0.8ohm GND, 0.9ohm L+, 0.8ohm R+

I’m thinking about taking 1 for the team, and dissecting the 6-core cable to see what exactly is going on.

I don’t want to believe what I think might going on...

Either they’re using really poor quality copper for the 6-core wires, or they’re only connecting 4 of the wires like has been suggested. Or maybe I’m just going crazy. But I’ve measured it multiple times with 2 different multimeters. There must be an explanation.

Now, granted resistance doesn’t tell the whole story with the quality of a cable. But c’mon, something isn’t adding up when these 2 cables are measuring exactly the same. Why even get an upgrade cable - I may as well use the thin stock one. Or better yet, the thin silver TRN upgrade one that’s been out for years now (which has the lowest resistance of all 3).

Thanks for measuring the 4 core for me. I was thinking this was all gimmiky BS. I suppose the price is fine(its a cable), but seems as if this cable is nothing special and we should probably be leary of it.

 

[killaHz]

If a six-core cable isn’t wired as two XLR circuits, what’s the point? Having four positive cores and two independent ground cores doesn’t seem like it gets you much.

 

[Slater]

Hope you rip that thing apart and find the truth. I absolutely HATE dishonest business practices. Dude, you gotta do it. If it's legit, then you only lost 5 bucks. If it's false advertising, then you saved many on this forum from spending their extra hard earned coin on a cable that's no better than the 4 core. I hope that it might be a simple flaw in your example, but still...

Ok, well here we go:

• Core #1, green conductor, L+
• Core #2, red conductor, R+
• Core #3, gold conductor, shared gnd
• Core #4, gold conductor, shared gnd
• Core #5, red conductor, FAKE ie not connected
• Core #6 & #7 (ie has 2 totally separate conductors inside the same insulator), blue AND green conductors, FAKE ie neither are connected

And there you have it folks. The TRN “6-core” cable.

Surprise #1 is the wire actually contains 7 conductors.

Surprise #2 is only 4 conductors are connected to anything. The rest are fake, and just there for looks.

So how many more of these “upgrade wires” (we’ve all been spending our hard earned money on) contain fake conductors? After seeing this, I’m willing to bet quite a few of them. And not just from TRN. It’s possible it’s from many manufacturers.

My advice is to be suspicious of the higher resistance cables before anything. Because if you have 2 cables (both with “8-cores” of roughly the same thickness), and 1 has a way higher resistance...well maybe now you know why.

Update: And just so no one can try and blame it on an isolated case of a QA error, I just got done cutting apart my OTHER brand new TRN 6-core cable (the mmcx version of the same cable). Same result. Fake cores.

Also, if anyone wants to see photos as proof of my findings, I'm happy to post photos.

 

[cherylyn]

Ok, well here we go:

• Core #1, green conductor, L+
• Core #2, red conductor, R+
• Core #3, gold conductor, shared gnd
• Core #4, gold conductor, shared gnd
• Core #5, red conductor, FAKE ie not connected
• Core #6 & #7 (ie has 2 totally separate conductors inside the same insulator), blue AND green conductors, FAKE ie neither are connected

And there you have it folks. The TRN “6-core” cable.

Surprise #1 is the wire actually contains 7 conductors.

Surprise #2 is only 4 conductors are connected to anything. The rest are fake, and just there for looks.

So how many more of these “upgrade wires” (we’ve all been spending our hard earned money on) contain fake conductors? After seeing this, I’m willing to bet quite a few of them.

Update: And just so no one can try and blame it on an isolated case of a QA error, I just got done cutting apart my OTHER brand new 6-core cable (the mmcx version of the same cable). Same result. Fake cores.

This is good to know. Thanks.