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Thx for answering, ruffra. So between solid OCC copper and solid non OCC silver you would go for the latter?
When you exchanged the provided cable for a OCC copper one did you hear any improvements? I am weary that pure non OCC silver would rend the X1 too sterile.
OK just to clarify my experience with OCC Copper is only using Stranded conductors. The Solid cores where four 9's Silver. I found the wires used opened up the sound rather than made it more sterile. More low level detail was able to be heard which enhances the overall richness in music content in my opinion.
My experience from September with the X1 is that they are a very revealing set of phones which directly open up your source material and equipment to a view under a spotlight as they have a "Front Row Balance" in their presentation.
So nuances in music are easily picked up, apart from some subtle 3d room effects which are not as prominent in these phones as they are in some much most expensive. However they are great Fun to listen to and for me have the right compromise across the frequency balance if your source equipment is good enough. I Identified the stock cables as limiting within the 1st hour of listening. Perhaps that's because I have changed a number of stock cables on different makes and now know what issues are with cables rather than the Transducer/Headphone design. Its the same on interconnects with me so I have been experimenting with cable types and designs for some 15+ years.
I have tried some Microphone Cable from Van Damme also which is multi wire OCC copper with some silver wires but that was only marginally better than stock and the improvement not easily heard. I do understand people who consider only Snake Oil improvements with aftermath cables. There is a lot of Hype out there. However some designs and material offer a much greater benefit over Bell Wire or stock, but you might have to go through the expense to find out Better vs just Different.
My recommendation of High Purity multi strand silver plated copper in 3 wire Litz braid is now based on about 2 months of listening. I have gone back to stock once for as long as 5 minutes over that time!!!
People can take my comments as they like , its a free forum. However I have been listen via headphones for over 35 years so I do have some length of service on the subject.
For the Snake Oil Flat Earthers I use Cryo treated Rhodium plated medical grade Molybdenum with Eichmann Bullet terminations on my Main interconnects . They might be mouthful to say but they are the one of the best interconnects I have heard regardless of price.
I'm not sure how much snake oil is a quart but you would need to bleed a Forest Full to pay the RRP for these sets of interconnects!!!
I am straying off the X1's thread again please stop me.!!!
PS You need to keep the cable flexible at the 3.5mm connector because strain on the headphone socket can lead to premature failure within the socket fingers. ( More about this in a few weeks time!!!)
