[Carpet]

Thanks for the info

And THIS is the problem. You don't need to spend $$$ in the stereo speaker world to get very good, yet somehow many people think they do.

$100 cable for $110 IEM, Nope!

I suppose this is as good enough a reason for me to stay off the cable merry-go-round.

Buy during sales!​

XINHS almost always have a 5N SPC 8 core on special for about $10.

Similarly NiceHCK will have an 8 or 4 core 5N copper cable for about $12.

Silver cables never get that cheap and are basically acoustic suicide for the treble sensitive.

Some IEMs do come with better than average cables ECCI YST-02 and Juzear Clear for example. I have no idea what Rhodium, Gold or Palladium do to cables other than make them more expensive. Since I can't afford them, I will live without discovering that. Comfort, handling and appearance are real improvements you can achieve with a cable even for hardened cynics. Sonic improvements are way cheaper to achieve with ear tips than cables. Like everything else, there are diminishing returns as prices increase.

​

 

[bixby]

So true, until you believe that a cable is a good investment and some say "no it's not a placebo"... sorry but if your iem doesn't sound good, you buy another one, the cable will just make you regret spending money on something that doesn't improve the sound...

I have to look at it terms of what I have learned over the decades in the stereo world. A very good setup can be improved with very good cables but we are in the low double digit of percentage improvement. So for me, a thought of improving an already really nice IEM with a cable was just that. The IEM does not suck, yet the IEM cable market truly does. The prices for the good stuff is insane.

In the stereo world one can get very good interconnects for example for less than any IEM cables I have seen that use a decent dielectric. It is what it is. The beauty of the IEM world is you now get sound from a $50 or $100 IEM that used to cost you $200 - $300+ a decade or two ago. So there is that!

 

[bixby]

Buy during sales!​

XINHS almost always have a 5N SPC 8 core on special for about $10.

Similarly NiceHCK will have an 8 or 4 core 5N copper cable for about $12.

Silver cables never get that cheap and are basically acoustic suicide for the treble sensitive.

Some IEMs do come with better than average cables ECCI YST-02 and Juzear Clear for example. I have no idea what Rhodium, Gold or Palladium do to cables other than make them more expensive. Since I can't afford them, I will live without discovering that. Comfort, handling and appearance are real improvements you can achieve with a cable even for hardened cynics. Sonic improvements are way cheaper to achieve with ear tips than cables. Like everything else, there are diminishing returns as prices increase.

​

I appreciate your info.

One thing I have learned is it is not always about wire metallurgy., nor is it about how many cores or how thick something is. Some of the poorest sounding interconnects and speaker cables I have heard are silver plated copper, and don't even start on how many nines of purity are after the decimal, most of the marketing crap is nonsense.

As for silver, agreed, some of it can sound quite nice if annealed properly so it will not stab treble sensitive ears, yet I believe that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, so dielectric matters to me and so do connectors (who knows what cheap ass metal alloy they use in a $10 cable connector).

Putting a buzzword cocktail of metals in a pvc sheath, to me, is not the right way to get great sound.

 

[Zachik]

Anyone tried NiceHCK FirstTouch IEM cable?

 

[Barndoor]

Anyone tried NiceHCK FirstTouch IEM cable?

That one didn't stand out to me, suspect may see it cheaper in the future.
I was/am tempted by Sakura and 7NBEE

Edit: FYI AU$135 ~ US$87

 

[Echalon]

Anyone tried NiceHCK FirstTouch IEM cable?

I have it, and it is underwhelming. Likely no better than the cheaper cables mentioned by @Carpet.

That one didn't stand out to me, suspect may see it cheaper in the future.
I was/am tempted by Sakura and 7NBEE


Edit: FYI AU$135 ~ US$87

NiceHCK can be quite hit and miss with their more expensive offerings. Those might be good, but it really is a gamble.

If you like the look of the 7NBEE, maybe look at the Penon Vocal. That’s a mid-focused cable with near identical looks and very good reputation.

You could try asking Xinhs or IvipQ whether they could make you a custom cable like the Sakura. Both companies have solid reputations and should be able to do something at that price.

 

[areek]

Hi, can anyone suggest a tried and tested ~100$ 4.4mm cable for the sennheiser IE 900? Aliexpress preferred.

 

[gael]

edit

 

[Echalon]

I have to disagree.
For the reference, I also tried XINHS palladium cable, which I had way more hopes for, and it did nothing to me sonically, and since it is also not a looker (meh), nor a toucher (PVC on a thicker side), I am letting it go.
Now the FirstTouch to my ears provided a bit of improvement to already very good sounding Limpid cable with added kick (speed) in the low end and maybe a tad bit clarity there as well. It also looks and feels just like I was hoping it would - thick but pliable, a bit more than average in weight. So for USD 23 I am glad I got it.

Picture colors are off, night time here, sorry.

It's certainly not a bad cable, especially at ~$23. At the moment it is almost double that price, and in my opinion that’s too much.

So much of this hobby is personal taste rather than good/bad. Personally I would choose the PurpleSE or BlackCat over this, but much prefer the looks of the FirstTouch.

 

[AndreRitter]

Please save me from reading through 500 pages of "stuff". Why do most stock or budget banger cables seem to use PVC for the dielectric. No self proclaimed audiofool would be caught with a PVC encased cable anywhere near their speaker based stereo system.

Are their any PE or better dielectrics to be found on a nice sounding copper cable. Any recs guys?

The silver plated stuff, again, would not be found in a decent stereo system for the most part. Of course there are the exceptions, but generally.

Currently rocking this on my Baldr. Nice wire.

**** 8 Core Pure Copper Cable 2.5/3.5/4.4mm Balanced Cable with MMCX/2Pin Connector for BLON BL-01 BL-03 KZ DQ6 EDX TINHIFI T2
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOGM8Nk

 

[AndreRitter]

@bixby
Further reading on other cables using the same cable leads me to think this uses your favourite pvc dielectric.

 

[colorzpe]

can anyone recommend aftermarket cable to pair with my Truthear Zero red
budget around 10-20$

 

[ExTubeGamer]

How cool would it be if NiceHCK would sell their iem cables as RCA versions? Simply the same cable but as rca interconnects. Even better, the same material used to create usb cables. We could create an entire setup out of nicehck furukawa cables.

 

[superuser1]

Any thoughts on this

 

[Leonarfd]

Any thoughts on this

Look like my XINHS, one of my fav budget cables in SPC. Comfortable and sound great.