[Chris J]

Is this true? Surely not?

Shock!
Awe!
Horror!

Yes, it is true!

"Nay, say it isn't so" the masses cry!
"Oh, the humanity!"

Yes, sir, it is the ugly truth of it.

 

[Hooster]

   
Is this true? Surely not?

The horror... Yes, that is a fact. There are also lots of fiddly little wires that are soldered together inside the cups. The signal takes a long and convoluted path from the mini XLR to the cup that is on the other side...
 
NB, if you do this mod you void your warranty. There is also a slight risk of frying your voice coils. Keeping your soldering iron too long against the terminal connected to the voice coil can over heat it. I don't think this is a major risk, but beware.

 

[Hooster]

Shock!
Awe!
Horror!

Yes, it is true!

"Nay, say it isn't so" the masses cry!
"Oh, the humanity!"

Yes, sir, it is the ugly truth of it.

 
This being the case, I suggest people think twice about replacing their stock cables with after market cables that cost more than the headphone, at least if they are just going to plug it into the mini XLR socket. If the after market cable is just connected to the mini XLR socket, then the signal still has to go through:
 
A solder at the socket
A short connecting cable to the headband hoops
A solder at the headband hoops
Through the headband hoops, (Horror)
A solder at the end of the headband hoops
A short cable to the driver terminal
A solder at the driver.
 
With my mod the only thing between the driver and the headphone cable is one solder.
 
A chain is never stronger than the weakest link. If someone thinks they are going to get a big improvement from expensive cables that just plug into the mini XLR I think they are kidding themselves.
 

 

[Chris J]

This being the case, I suggest people think twice about replacing their stock cables with after market cables that cost more than the headphone, at least if they are just going to plug it into the mini XLR socket. If the after market cable is just connected to the mini XLR socket, then the signal still has to go through:

A solder at the socket
A short connecting cable to the headband hoops
A solder at the headband hoops
Through the headband hoops, (Horror)
A solder at the end of the headband hoops
A short cable to the driver terminal
A solder at the driver.

With my mod the only thing between the driver and the headphone cable is one solder.

A chain is never stronger than the weakest link. If someone thinks they are going to get a big improvement from expensive cables that just plug into the mini XLR I think they are kidding themselves.

Yes, but it's audiophile grade spring steel!

 

[Solrighal]

Yes, but it's audiophile grade spring steel!

 
Now you tell me. Panic over.

 

[Chris J]

   
Now you tell me. Panic over.

Cryogenically treated.
 
On a more serious note, have you noticed that people do not say that the left diaphragm is far superior to the right diaphragm in our Q701s?
 
I built a custom cable for my Qs, good thing I only wasted $18.00 on it!
Face palm!  

 

[Stillhart]

  Cryogenically treated.
 
On a more serious note, have you noticed that people do not say that the left diaphragm is far superior to the right diaphragm in our Q701s?
 
I built a custom cable for my Qs, good thing I only wasted $18.00 on it!
Face palm!  

 
This was 100% my first thought.  "If it's so bad, how come people aren't complaining about one side sounding better than the other?"  More fuel for my "cables don't make a difference" opinion.

 

[Hooster]

  Cryogenically treated.
 
On a more serious note, have you noticed that people do not say that the left diaphragm is far superior to the right diaphragm in our Q701s?
 
I built a custom cable for my Qs, good thing I only wasted $18.00 on it!
Face palm!  

 
Graphs for Q701 from here http://www.innerfidelity.com/headphone-data-sheet-downloads 30HZ square wave and impulse response:
 

 

 
The right, red seems to have a slightly poorer impulse response, slightly less amplitude,  than the blue, left. The left is probably slightly better, the way they are when they leave the factory. Probably only a tiny difference but it seems to be measurable, and it is probably audible if you are looking for it. If you are unaware of it , and not looking for it I do not think you will notice, it is not much of a difference, as long as everything works correctly.
 
With the more complex signal path there is more potential for the right channel to fail than the left channel.

 

[Chris J]

Graphs for Q701 from here http://www.innerfidelity.com/headphone-data-sheet-downloads 30HZ square wave and impulse response:







The right, red seems to have a slightly poorer impulse response, slightly less amplitude,  than the blue, left. The left is probably slightly better, the way they are when they leave the factory. Probably only a tiny difference but it seems to be measurable, and it is probably audible if you are looking for it. If you are unaware of it , and not looking for it I do not think you will notice, it is not much of a difference, as long as everything works correctly.

With the more complex signal path there is more potential for the right channel to fail than the left channel.

Or maybe you are just looking at the difference between two Q701 drivers!

 

[Hooster]

Or maybe you are just looking at the difference between two Q701 drivers!

 
Yes, maybe. The difference is small.

 

[Chris J]

Yes, maybe. The difference is small.

All kidding aside, I do agree with your statement: what's the point of a basic cable upgrade for the Q701 if you only intend to use the stock mini XLR.

 

[TsukiNick]

Do you guys think I should use my Schiit Magni or my LittleDot MkIII (Stock tubes and 10x Gain) for my Q701s.  I know the low impedance of the Q701 isn't really great for tube amps, but the Magni is a bit of a bright amp.  So it seems like the Magni drives them better but makes them brighter, while the LittleDot makes the sound signature a bit more even.  Or do you think I should go wild and use the LittleDot MkIII as a Preamp for the Magni and get the best of both worlds.
 
Edit: Actually it looks like the Magni should not be plugged into the Little Dot MkIII due to the Magni being DC coupled.  Weird.

 

[Smugsie]

  Do you guys think I should use my Schiit Magni or my LittleDot MkIII (Stock tubes and 10x Gain) for my Q701s.  I know the low impedance of the Q701 isn't really great for tube amps, but the Magni is a bit of a bright amp.  So it seems like the Magni drives them better but makes them brighter, while the LittleDot makes the sound signature a bit more even.  Or do you think I should go wild and use the LittleDot MkIII as a Preamp for the Magni and get the best of both worlds.
 
Edit: Actually it looks like the Magni should not be plugged into the Little Dot MkIII due to the Magni being DC coupled.  Weird.

I use my Q701's with Dared MP5 tube amp that was meant for small speaker setups, works fine for me! I'm not sure how much 10x gain is for your tubes, but as long as it's not blowing up your ears it should be fine.

 

[rms141]

   
I have updated my original link to include further explanatory links.
 
There are several steps you can take to improve the quality of the mains supply feeding audio equipment. Some people (including me) think it has a beneficial effect on SQ. It's not so crazy as it sounds.
 
"Addressing SMPSs" is one of the four steps I mention, yes, but I don't believe that SMPS automatically = bad sound and I agree they can sound quite good when properly designed. Anyway, there are usually many more SMPSs of unknown quality connected on a typical ring that have nothing to do with audio equipment, and dealing with all of them is my way (as discussed in further link).

After reading your updated link, I finally figured out that you were talking about the quality of the electrical power feeding the DAC and amp. Could have just said so!
 
My DAC Destroyer is running off USB power straight from the Mac Mini it's plugged in to. The Little Dot I+ runs via a short extension cable into an APC SMC1500 UPS. This UPS also feeds "smaller" electronics, like the wifi router and DSL modem. A gaming PC and consoles are plugged into a separate UPS. Both UPSes connect to the same AC outlet.
 
I don't think quality of electrical supply is an issue here.
 

   
Yes, a dual entry re-cable with something good like Mogami. Why re-cable?
 
 
*removed for brevity*
 
Would I say that this mod was worth $38 and 3 hours of work? YES!"

I generally don't have 3 hours of time to devote to something like this, even on the weekend. There's also the cost of supplies to factor in.
 
If this really does make a difference, I'd imagine there's some way to buy a prefabbed cable… any thoughts?

 

[Hooster]

   
If this really does make a difference, I'd imagine there's some way to buy a prefabbed cable… any thoughts?

 
Yes, but you or someone else needs to open up the cans, drill holes, de solder the old cable from the terminals and solder your new ones to the terminals. There are no short cuts to this. If you don't have the time, forget it. Buying prefabbed cables that just plug into the mini XLR is probably a waste of time. The signal then still has to go through various bits of cable inside the cans, not to mention the spring steel of the headbands...
 
I think this calls for a fitting image: