[Edric Li]

New cable day!!!

From top to right, left to right, they are the MeetAlice, FirstTouch, AceOrpheus, BlackCat 8w, OurLaura and BlackSoul.
Only listened to the AceOrpheus and BlackSoul so far (because look at how beautiful they are), and I like what I'm hearing. They sound different but in a good way.
I'll try to listen to them over the week but pls ask if you need a comparison of any particular ones for Cyber Monday purchases.

 

[redrich2000]

Anyone have any experience with this AE cable.

 

[Edric Li]

New cable day!!!



From top to right, left to right, they are the MeetAlice, FirstTouch, AceOrpheus, BlackCat 8w, OurLaura and BlackSoul.
Only listened to the AceOrpheus and BlackSoul so far (because look at how beautiful they are), and I like what I'm hearing. They sound different but in a good way.
I'll try to listen to them over the week but pls ask if you need a comparison of any particular ones for Cyber Monday purchases.

The conclusions I drew so far:
- I bought 3 sleeved cables this time. Next time it will be 0. At my listening volume, the shirt noise is just unbearable.
- BlackSoul is easily my least favorite. Too cold and bright sounding. I really wanted to like it because of how good it looks.
- My favorite is probably either the AceOrpheus or OurLaura. Turns out they are also the most expensive (good job NiceHCK). They are the darkest sounding cables of the bunch. AceOrpheus has a deeper bass and a slightly lifted lower mids; very "musical". AceOrpheus really reminds me of the feeling I had the first time I listened to the PWAudio 1960s. Not saying that it sounds like a PWAudio cable, because I have zero recollection of how it sounded, but AceOrpheus does manage to invoke the same reaction from me, which I remember vividly. The music sounds extremely calming, making me want to turn the volume up louder than normal. OurLaura is more mid-forward and doesn't send chill down my spine as often as the AceOrpheus, but I damn sure won't be using the AceOrpheus over OurLaura because of the shirt noise.
- BlackCat Ultra is cable to get if you like wow factors. Thunderous bass and well extended treble. Not bright at all, unlike the BlackSoul. The bass is very addictive.
- FirstTouch is slightly brighter sounding than MeetAlice. Both are brighter than AceOrpheus and OurLaura.

The IEM I use is the Zero Red with a 10Ohm adapter. Its tuning is designed to interact with the output impedance, so it is possible that some of my impressions are due to the cable having a higher than normal impedance.

 

[Jerwardemy]

I just received my first Nicehck cable yesterday, the MeetAlice. It's a very nice looking cable, a little stiff but not too bad, and slightly microphonic from the cloth covering.

I'm comparing it to my stock Xenns Mangird Tea 2 cables, which I believe are 8 core 6N OCC Silver Plated Litz. Well, the MeetAlice were a let down...The factory cable has deeper/punchier bass, more extended highs, better resolution and wider soundstage.

The MeetAlice's bass didn't seem to go as low and seemed kinda wooly. The highs are not as extended, but there were a couple songs where cymbal splashes seemed to resolve better on the MeetAlice somehow. Overall, it seemed to focus too much energy in the upper mids and sounded kinda shouty to me.

Maybe the upper mid forwardness just doesn't mesh well with the signature of the Tea 2's.

Upcoming cables I'm waiting for...
Nicehck Purple SE
Tripowin Altea
Ivipq 8 core 7N OCC litz
Fengru (Spacecloud clone)

 

[Mithrandir1980]

Can you recommend a cheap cable for my Hifiman Sundara with 4.4 termination?

 

[theintention]

My 11.11 consisted of me trying to figure out what the heck everyone is talking about with changing the cable to change the sound. Outside of some cheap linsoul cables from amazon, i mostly had stock ones that came with various IEMs so i was excited to jump into the higher end a bit. I bought some NiceHCK cables that I have been using for almost a week now, and am still waiting on a XINHS to arrive.

The results?... I simply do not hear the difference swapping the cable makes, outside of it messing with the fit of the IEM in question. There is no bass difference, no lifted treble, nothing. every single other thing in the chain changed the sound of my IEMs, except swapping the cables. Tips, amps, phones, file formats i can hear all the differences. not with cables.

Cables tested -
BlackCat Ultra
Grey Rhino
FirstTouch
DragonScale

First con for me, and it applies to all of them - I had to loosen the ear hooks on every single one of these cables. Each caused a pinching sensation on the back of my ears.

BlackCat Ultra -the cheapest, and my favorite out of the bunch. Thick, excellent connectors, really sturdy. Quite heavy, use with heavier IEMs.
Grey Rhino - My second favorite. Sleeved, thick and heavy, not for mobile use but looks excellent with my mp145. no chin slider.
FirstTouch - Almost a good fabric cable. Quite microphonic, again not for mobile use. It almost came with some cosmetic imperfections on the gold 2pin connections, looks awful.
DragonScale - Easily the biggest waste of money I have ever wasted in this hobby. If i got it for its full 500 dollar MSRP it claims, I would be absolutely livid. Short, too thick to be mobile, ear hooks are too light to support the body weight of the sleeving cable, the 3.5mm jack connection where the cable meets already looks a little worrisome, and no chin slider.

This cable experiment failed miserably, and I will only be looking at fit and ergonomics of nice looking cables from now on. I have defaulted back to using my thin, sleek, not fancy Hart Audio custom cable so i can easily swap between sources. it is just easier, and was a far cheaper solution than all these cables. I will for sure use the BlackCat Ultra and Grey Rhino at times, the rest are going in the drawer.

 

[Echalon]

My 11.11 consisted of me trying to figure out what the heck everyone is talking about with changing the cable to change the sound. Outside of some cheap linsoul cables from amazon, i mostly had stock ones that came with various IEMs so i was excited to jump into the higher end a bit. I bought some NiceHCK cables that I have been using for almost a week now, and am still waiting on a XINHS to arrive.

The results?... I simply do not hear the difference swapping the cable makes, outside of it messing with the fit of the IEM in question. There is no bass difference, no lifted treble, nothing. every single other thing in the chain changed the sound of my IEMs, except swapping the cables. Tips, amps, phones, file formats i can hear all the differences. not with cables.

Cables tested -
BlackCat Ultra
Grey Rhino
FirstTouch
DragonScale

First con for me, and it applies to all of them - I had to loosen the ear hooks on every single one of these cables. Each caused a pinching sensation on the back of my ears.

BlackCat Ultra -

With the exception of the DragonScale (never tried), these are all cables that give a mild boost to mids and bass. There is not a huge difference between them. To my ears there is maybe a little more treble smoothness on the BlackCat Ultra vs the grainier Rhino, and the FirstTouch might be brighter, but it really is subtle.

 

[theintention]

With the exception of the DragonScale (never tried), these are all cables that give a mild boost to mids and bass. There is not a huge difference between them. To my ears there is maybe a little more treble smoothness on the BlackCat Ultra vs the grainier Rhino, and the FirstTouch might be brighter, but it really is subtle.

i am happy people can hear that, but i simply did not. I a/b tested each of these with the stock cable it came with.

 

[theintention]

If anything i am looking at this as a positive... one less area of this hobby to drain my wallet LOL. i admit my hearing is not the best, I have been going to concerts and festivals since I was 13 and that was MANY years ago. Just find it kind of odd I can hear audible differences when any other part of the chain is swapped /shrug

I want to make it clear that I am not claiming others don't hear the cable differences, and saying that as fact. Purely from my own perspective and use case.

 

[Jerwardemy]

I'm just hoping I'm not disappointed with the ones I'm waiting on lol

Although, they are about equal to or higher spec than the factory cable, except for the Purple SE...so we'll see how my ears hear it.

 

[Edric Li]

If anything i am looking at this as a positive... one less area of this hobby to drain my wallet LOL. i admit my hearing is not the best, I have been going to concerts and festivals since I was 13 and that was MANY years ago. Just find it kind of odd I can hear audible differences when any other part of the chain is swapped /shrug

I want to make it clear that I am not claiming others don't hear the cable differences, and saying that as fact. Purely from my own perspective and use case.

It could also be the music that you listen to. My experience is that the better the quality of music (think Nils Lofgren Acoustic Live, Eric Clapton Unplugged or any well-mastered music that are hifi-demo-worthy), the harder it is to hear a difference or to tell a favorite. What I like to do is to start from the most painfully mastered music in my collection (think cheap rhythm game music, 90s underground techno or hip-hop made in FL studio), and try to see if the new cable makes the music more painful or less painful. Then I'll go back to the well-mastered music to see what the changes I heard extrapolate to, and evaluate whether the overall impact it has on my collection of music is positive or negative.

 

[Jerwardemy]

Can you recommend a cheap cable for my Hifiman Sundara with 4.4 termination?

I would say a safe suggestion is to just grab any 6N or 7N OCC Xinhs. Pure copper if you'd like a slightly warmer sound, silver Plated if you like it a lil more focused on the highs, or silver/copper mix for somewhere in between.

 

[theintention]

It could also be the music that you listen to. My experience is that the better the quality of music (think Nils Lofgren Acoustic Live, Eric Clapton Unplugged or any well-mastered music that are hifi-demo-worthy), the harder it is to hear a difference or to tell a favorite. What I like to do is to start from the most painfully mastered music in my collection (think cheap rhythm game music, 90s underground techno or hip-hop made in FL studio), and try to see if the new cable makes the music more painful or less painful. Then I'll go back to the well-mastered music to see what the changes I heard extrapolate to, and evaluate whether the overall impact it has on my collection of music is positive or negative.

I mean… my tastes are pretty eclectic, my reference playlist knows no genre, nothing is safe baha. I don’t think this is it, for me at least.

 

[Echalon]

I mean… my tastes are pretty eclectic, my reference playlist knows no genre, nothing is safe baha. I don’t think this is it, for me at least.

There’s nothing wrong - we all listen differently, and as you said it will save you money! So long as you are enjoying your music, your setup is great.

 

[Edric Li]

Sorry if this has been discussed, but what is up with NiceHCK naming their cables similar to PWAudio flagship cables? MeetAlice -> Meet Again; AceOrpheus -> Orpheus; FirstTouch -> First Times. Pretty sure it isn't a coincidence that they look similar to the PWAudio counterparts too.

Are they trying to imply that the cables are the same OEM cables as the PWAudio ones? Last time I made a purchase of similar fashion it failed miserably (albeit it was a different Chinese cable company imitating a different well-known cable company)

I looked into it a bit, and it turns out NiceHCK had been pretty open about this.

This tweet and this tweet claim that AceOrpheus is an ODM cable designed and manufactured for a confidential German customer to retail at 650 euros in April 2023. How confidential lol. The design, material and structure of the cable was inspired by PWAudio Orpheus... Oddly specific, but I like the transparency.

This tweet calls OurLaura "NiceHCK's Ode To Laura". What ever that means...

This tweet calls FirstTouch "NiceHCK's First TimeS". What ever that means...

This tweet claims MeetAlice's conductor "was originally exported to Singapore and is used in the production of high-end cables". Hmm...