brams
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2009
- Posts
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- 375
The Evergreen seemed to be slightly more open in the midrange than stock, but the effect was subtle to be sure. It seemed to me to be a good option to try at a relatively low price. After that prices increased significantly with slight changes that seemed to me to be more like subtle differences instead of actual improvements relative to stock.I used my car stereo to compare the stock ORA 3.5mm cable with the kabeldirekt 3.5mm cable I had already been using in my car, and I can confirm that I could hear less noise when I turned the silent radio up to max volume, indicating a good cable.
Whaich cable was your favorite?
Also I was at my local store the other day and tried the ORA on a Questyle amp, an A&K SP2000, the HeadAmp GSX2, and the Mytek Liberty DAC.
My favorite amp pairing with the ORA was the Mytek Liberty DAC personally
Having said this, I thought the Angel offered a noticeable increase in upper end detail, but still remained slightly smoother than the others. Also, the bottom end seemed to be a bit more natural in the sense that it remained extended but I could not detect any emphasis in the upper bass. The best description I can provide is that the GQ's performance seemed to be unhurried when that cable was used. For example it was easier to follow reverb trails all the way to their end despite the starting of other notes. This is in contrast to the other cables where the same trails appeared to be truncated a bit by the start of other notes ... if that makes sense.
The Angel cable on hand was a 3.5mm to dual rca unit so a generic adapter had to be used on the headphone end in addition to the 1/4" adapter on the amp end. As a result, it is possible the cable performance was compromised. Moreover, I am certain there was some expectation bias on my part just due to the cost of the cable ... maybe I was just listening more intently. Regardless, I would never suggest using such an expensive cable on any headphone much less a headphone at 1/8th the price!