[Dexdexter]

Back this past June, when I visited Hans Oosterwaal of Qables at his new shop, audioXperience (see thread HERE), I left with him a sample of the elusive Ultrasone threaded ear-cup connector for him to have a play with.

Prior to this point, although a handful of other companies including Moon Audio, RAL, and Cardas had begun offering aftermarket cables for the Ultrasone PROlines (soon to be simply PROs), none were utilizing the original connector part and were instead cannibalizing connectors off of spare PROline cables.

Within a few short weeks of my visit, Hans managed to locate a source for the connector where so many others before him had failed, which he began offering to other professionals and DIY-ers alike:

Shortly afterwards, I received the first prototype of the new Qables SilverCab. It was not without its issues, however. Like some of the other aftermarket cables including the Cardas offered through Ultrasone USA for example (see immediately below), the end of the cable terminating at the ear-cup seemed overly lengthy and stiff, precluding free and easy movement while wearing the PROlines, since the thick connector end had a tendency to rub up against one's shoulders:

So I duly returned the cable to Hans along with my comments. I received an e-mail from him a few days later saying that he had been pondering this same issue already and had devised a solution, the prototype would be on its way back shortly.

Then the Belgian Post intervened...

After about 3 1/2 weeks, the SilverCab finally made its way back to my doorstep. In the interim, Hans, being the confident and hyper-efficient soul that he is, had already posted the SilverCab on the Qables site for sale. The price? €265.00 (well, € 262.50 for all-black).

That's when my head began to spin...

 

[EnOYiN]

Aside from the price.. How does it sound and will you get one?

Edit: Sorry dex. Too impatient I guess.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnOYiN /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aside from the price.. How does it sound and will you get one?

Pretty sure he is still typing the rest of this.

 

[musicman59]

Do you think it make more sense to modify both earcups to hardwired the new cable or if keeping the single entry then replace the internal wiring of both tranducers with the same type of wires used in the cable to obtain the full benefit of the upgrade?

 

[Dexdexter]

So deep breaths aside, and attempting, for the time being, not to focus entirely on the (perhaps, painfully) obvious (that the SilverCab is indeed more expensive than most of the PROline/PRO series, with the exception of the 2500s & 750s), what do we find when we open our envelope from The Netherlands?

As expected, we see a nicely crafted cable of reassuringly solid construction, and a good couple of millimeters thicker than the stock Ultrasone cable:

But the SilverCab's physical attributes do not end with its overall appearance, since it is surprisingly more lithe and supple than its PROline counterpart.

And Hans certainly wasn't fooling around when he said that he had solved the ear-cup connector issue; upon close examination, it appears that he has managed to weld the threaded plug directly to an aluminum sleeve (which I was subsequently was told is from Neutrik) while preserving the delicate connection interface, no easy task since the fit must be absolute and precise.

Likewise, the other business end of the SilverCab is terminated with a hefty Neutrik plug:

From a strictly ergonomic standpoint, the SilverCab is as much an absolute joy to use as it is to behold. The threaded end is more compact and, very likely, ultimately more robust than stock (although I have yet to suffer any kind of failure with one). The end result for me was a feeling of greater ease of movement and added confidence in swapping between different PROline models and cables for A/B-ing.

Up next: listening impressions, existential questions, and value-for-money conclusions.

 

[Sharkie]

I will probably not be the only one who is looking forward to hearing how the cable sounds...

did you already get a clear impression?

 

[Contrastique]

Looking good! The part where the plug goes into the hp is shorter which is a good thing for sure. When I where it outside with a scarf on (it's cold these days) the plug is too long and it struggles with the scarf resulting in me not being able to rotate my head properly to the left side. Kind of a bummer when crossing streets and have to look out for the traffic haha!
Hope you'll have some sound impressions soon though I think this cable will be a tad over my budget..for a cable...

 

[EnOYiN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Contrastique /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think this cable will be a tad over my budget..for a cable...

You just need to get used to the idea.

 

[Contrastique]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnOYiN /img/forum/go_quote.gif You just need to get used to the idea.

I think that would mean the end all end for everything so for now I think I have decided to remain on the ignorant path thus safe

LOL...

 

[hoosterw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Contrastique /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that would mean the end all end for everything so for now I think I have decided to remain on the ignorant path thus safe LOL...

I guess you left that path quite a long time ago

.

Hans.

 

[Contrastique]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosterw /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess you left that path quite a long time ago . Hans.

You evil person haha