[kulidone]

Reasonable price for a cable is sale price!

Keep an eye on AE for the NiceHCK Official Store and the NiceHCK Audio Store. They often have broken ranges coming up for sale. If you want 3.5mm jack with 0.78mm 2 pin that isn't good news, as they are usually the ones that have sold out. Balanced cables and other connectors (particularly NX7) are usually what's left to pick from. XINHS and ivipQ usually have a couple on sale too, usually with a full range of options as they manufacture cables, and can customize them if requested.



As far as I am aware. Copper cables favor lower frequencies. Silver cables favor higher frequencies. Silver plated copper is somewhere in the middle, so a decent default choice. If you like how an IEM sounds, you can just use the same cable material as the stock cable. Gold, other alloys and graphene, I have no idea. Single crystal copper has a different crystalline structure within the metal which may effect the signal. OCC copper is a casting method used to produce single crystalline copper. Litz cables use separate insulation of each strand within each core, that does have an effect on the transmission of signal by making more of the signal travel close to the surface of the conductor. Very thin cables don't seem to sound as good as more substantial cables, probably skewed by most cheaply made cables included with IEMs being thin.

Whether expensive cables made from high purity or exotic materials and claiming superior sound, are worth the money, is hotly debated. If you want to follow this, I recommend stocking up on popcorn. Certainly some cables do sound worse than others and cable rolling can make some difference to sound. But I find IEMs make the most difference followed by tips. Tips are way cheaper than esoteric cables. If you want a better sounding IEM, don't put a cable that costs three times as much on it. Buy a better IEM instead.

What's actually point of plating? Is there a theoretical benefit?
Does the silver plated copper sound the same as mixed copper/silver wire cable?

Not planning to get the best... that's never ending journey. More like getting a good price performance ratio since cables can be really expensive.
Hah, I wish buying tips was cheaper. Most of tips I bought are not being used and sometimes have to buy 2 sizes since the actual fit varies, doesn't fit the nozzle or sometimes have to pay shipping as well (buying outside AE).
Imo tips are more expensive in the end than cables if we are not talking about the premium ones costing 100-200$+. If I get 3-4 good cables I should be fine.

Not trying to change the sound with the cable. Thanks for the warning. I know that if I want to achieve good sound the IEM and tips is where should I focus and things like cables, dac etc. are minimal.

Lets make it simple. If you could have only 3-4 type of cables. What would you buy? Pure copper cable is probably sure thing what would be the others?

 

[Surf Monkey]

What's actually point of plating? Is there a theoretical benefit?
Does the silver plated copper sound the same as mixed copper/silver wire cable?

Not planning to get the best... that's never ending journey. More like getting a good price performance ratio since cables can be really expensive.
Hah, I wish buying tips was cheaper. Most of tips I bought are not being used and sometimes have to buy 2 sizes since the actual fit varies, doesn't fit the nozzle or sometimes have to pay shipping as well (buying outside AE).
Imo tips are more expensive in the end than cables if we are not talking about the premium ones costing 100-200$+. If I get 3-4 good cables I should be fine.

Not trying to change the sound with the cable. Thanks for the warning. I know that if I want to achieve good sound the IEM and tips is where should I focus and things like cables, dac etc. are minimal.

Lets make it simple. If you could have only 3-4 type of cables. What would you buy? Pure copper cable is probably sure thing what would be the others?

The strands are plated in order to stop copper corrosion. It isn’t really for sound.

 

[PhonoPhi]

The strands are plated in order to stop copper corrosion. It isn’t really for sound.

Exactly!
In fact, it is much harder to provide copper protection with some polymer coating, especially with PVC isolation being most common and enhancing corrosion.
So many "pure copper" cables are in fact silver-plated and then placed in a copper-coloured insulation.

So hearing the difference of plating requires some good imagination

Imagination is free, so buying any decent good-fitting cable can work wonders.

Spending $1000 may help imagination though

 

[kulidone]

I see, so do the cables degrade due to corrosion over time? If the sound quality gets worse.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I see, so do the cables degrade due to corrosion over time? If the sound quality gets worse.

Basically, exposure to oxygen causes copper to rust. That’s why you often see “oxygen free copper” listed as a quality of the cable. Copper bonds with oxygen fairly readily so its longevity can be increased by plating it with something more resistant to corrosion like silver or ceramic. When copper rusts it impacts its ability to conduct, but it also looks unattractive. When dealing with the very small strands found in an audio cable rust can cause the individual strand to short and become unreliable.

Those are probably the two main reasons (anti-corrosion and aesthetics) why copper wire is plated or sometimes made into an alloy with another metal like tin. Some will argue that plating impacts the resulting sound. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. “Cable rolling” is far from an exact science. You have to let your ears be your guide. If you hear a difference, that’s what actually matters.

 

[kulidone]

Basically, exposure to oxygen causes copper to rust. That’s why you often see “oxygen free copper” listed as a quality of the cable. Copper bonds with oxygen fairly readily so its longevity can be increased by plating it with something more resistant to corrosion like silver or ceramic. When copper rusts it impacts its ability to conduct, but it also looks unattractive. When dealing with the very small strands found in an audio cable rust can cause the individual strand to short and become unreliable.

Those are probably the two main reasons (anti-corrosion and aesthetics) why copper wire is plated or sometimes made into an alloy with another metal like tin. Some will argue that plating impacts the resulting sound. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. “Cable rolling” is far from an exact science. You have to let your ears be your guide. If you hear a difference, that’s what actually matters.

Thanks for the thorough explanation with some "science". Info like these is what I am interested in.
Alright it looks like I should get a full copper, SPC cable and mixed copper/silver wire cable. Anything else? Not really interested in those fancy stuff like gold/graphene etc. Just the "standard".

 

[Surf Monkey]

Thanks for the thorough explanation with some "science". Info like these is what I am interested in.
Alright it looks like I should get a full copper, SPC cable and mixed copper/silver wire cable. Anything else? Not really interested in those fancy stuff like gold/graphene etc. Just the "standard".

I typically use silver plated SPC. That’s probably the most common configuration.

 

[Carpet]

Thanks for the thorough explanation with some "science". Info like these is what I am interested in.
Alright it looks like I should get a full copper, SPC cable and mixed copper/silver wire cable. Anything else? Not really interested in those fancy stuff like gold/graphene etc. Just the "standard".

You don't need to keep all options on hand (just in case).

I typically use silver plated SPC. That’s probably the most common configuration.

Same here, that works for most things. If it's too bright I might go for a copper cable and or foam tips/narrow bores. If it's too dark, I'll buy my first pure silver cable.

Nah that'll probably never happen, I enjoy the power of the dark side!

I've never seen anyone tapping their toes to the treble, just sayin'.

 

[BCool]

NiceHck have 3 of their higher end cables on sale:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002121911552.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001726807407.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003401298534.html

 

[tamio]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a new iem cable (0.78 2-pin) with interchangeable plug. Can you recommend some brands or shops?
Currently I am looking at https://trn-audio.com/trn-t3-pro.html

 

[Superpong]

Hi

Anyone has this cable. How is it?

US $74.34 37%OFF | XINHS 8-Cores Graphene Upgrade Wire LITZ Structure Single Crystal Copper Plated Silver + Graphene Earphone Upgrade Cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNT7SBE

 

[duo8]

Can someone recommend me some 2 pin 0.78mm cables? Something soft and flexible, comfort is the only concern I have for cables.
Preferably with a wire diameter after the split of 1.5mm, and uses TPE for the jacket. It's just years ago I bought a (very cheap) cable with those specs, and it happened to be the most ergonomic cable I've ever had, so i wanted something similar but 2 pin.

 

[PhonoPhi]

Can someone recommend me some 2 pin 0.78mm cables? Something soft and flexible, comfort is the only concern I have for cables.
Preferably with a wire diameter after the split of 1.5mm, and uses TPE for the jacket. It's just years ago I bought a (very cheap) cable with those specs, and it happened to be the most ergonomic cable I've ever had, so i wanted something similar but 2 pin.

TPE is rare, many do not like its rubbery feeling. PVC is the main material, sadly.
I know XINHS have TPE (only black), I like this cable, you can contact them in AE to make any length and termination.

 

[duo8]

TPE is rare, many do not like its rubbery feeling. PVC is the main material, sadly.
I know XINHS have TPE (only black), I like this cable, you can contact them in AE to make any length and termination.

Hmm maybe the old cable isn't TPE after all, it's not sticky/rubbery.
Still pretty flexible after a couple years though.

 

[Carpet]

Can someone recommend me some 2 pin 0.78mm cables? Something soft and flexible, comfort is the only concern I have for cables.
Preferably with a wire diameter after the split of 1.5mm, and uses TPE for the jacket. It's just years ago I bought a (very cheap) cable with those specs, and it happened to be the most ergonomic cable I've ever had, so i wanted something similar but 2 pin.

How many cores do you prefer?
Do you like cables with or without preformed earhooks?
Straight jack or "L" plug?
3.5mm SE, 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced jack?

Easiest cheap solution is to either get ivipQ or XINHS. There is normally something on special at their AE stores (XINHS have 2 stores) just search "ivipQ cable" or "XINHS cable" and they should have entries from the relevant store. Either of those will come packaged in a nice case too.

Alternatively look for NiceHCK cables on sale. 0.78mm 2 pin in 3.5mm SE are the hardest to find, as they are always the first thing sold out from incomplete ranges. Their 16 and 24 core cables are soft, have no earhooks and are super comfortable.