[DavidA]

Thank you everyone for your valuable inputs. I have also come across a sparingly used Teac HA-501 Headphone Amplifier for approx $475 which is almost double the price of the Matrix M-Stage available on Massdrop. Would the difference in SQ justify the price? Please let me know

The HA-501 is the amp I'm looking into and my friend in Japan says its a really good SS amp due to the adjustable damping, like the Ember's adjustable resistance/impedance.  Since new ones go for $850, I think the $475 is a really good price.

 

[elwappo99]

  I'm not gonna spend more than $50 for cables.
ever.
probably buy another amp for that kind of bucks.

 
I'm all with you, but the HD700 has a weird connector, and a pair costs $20. The HD800 connectors cost $40! So, just basic cabling:
 
HD700 Connectors: $20
Cable $10
Termination: $5
 
That's bare bones pricing too, no including the cost of labor, tools, sleeving or shipping required. 

 

[KopaZ]

the only time that a cable changed headphones SQ entirely different was a hd598 cable replacement from amazon.
somehow it made my hd598 way bassier, and darker sounding.

 

[elwappo99]

  the only time that a cable changed headphones SQ entirely different was a hd598 cable replacement from amazon.
somehow it made my hd598 way bassier, and darker sounding.

 
Oh, you're talking about purchasing a cable purely for SQ improvements. I was saying if you were purchasing a new cable for comfort, balancing, etc. Sometimes, stock cables are really annoying. The HD700 kinks a lot.
 
But nothing matches the HE500 cable *shudders*

 

[KopaZ]

according to the manual on HD700 (YEP, I READ IT!)
you need to put the cable on something like stands so it can be flat, for a few days.
apparently it also says you need to "launder" the headphones once in a while...

 

[3083joe]

I would go with Project Ember. Quite a few people have highly recommended it to pair well with HD700. 

I have heard the same. Might go that route with mine.

 

[PETEREK]

I'm pretty happy with my Gustard H10 pairing with my HD700. Fast and accurate. It doesn't seem to color the music one way or the other. It makes it pretty clear that the Crack+speedball colors it a little in the low end.

 

[Krutsch]

  according to the manual on HD700 (YEP, I READ IT!)
you need to put the cable on something like stands so it can be flat, for a few days.
apparently it also says you need to "launder" the headphones once in a while...

My cable finally straightened out without doing that. However, when I put the 'phones back on the stand, I loosely 'S fold' the cable, as opposed to coiling it up for storage. After a while, the kinking flattened out and the cable it pretty nice.
 
Of course... I am still eyeing a Moon Audio Silver Dragon, like the one I put on my HD-650s. I'm a sucker for cable bling.

 

[donlin]

  .........
 
Of course... I am still eyeing a Moon Audio Silver Dragon, like the one I put on my HD-650s. I'm a sucker for cable bling.

Oh no, you don't fall for this cable nonsense do you?

  The last I heard, the maximum you should spend is $50.00.

 

[SSN2015]

Pulled the trigger on the  Teac HA-501 . Will receive it early next week. Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

 

[donlin]

  Pulled the trigger on the  Teac HA-501 . Will receive it early next week. Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

That's a nice amp.  I think you made a very good choice.

 

[pietcux]

  I love how it says "no ridiculous pricing" and charges $250 for that

Have you seen the sellers name: stinky1965

 

[pietcux]

  Oh no, you don't fall for this cable nonsense do you?

  The last I heard, the maximum you should spend is $50.00.

You know, that the original cable from Sennheiser is 161.83 €, don't you? so maybe stinky1965 sells us a bargain, LOL

 

[donlin]

 
You know, that the original cable from Sennheiser is 161.83 €, don't you? so maybe stinky1965 sells us a bargain, LOL

Yes, that's correct the cost of the custom cable is almost the same as the stock cable which is a pretty mediocre sounding cable. It is a bargain to me.  When you compare the cable made with Cardas wire to the stock cable, it really shows how much the stock cable is holding back the sound quality of the headphones.

 

[Mechans1]

 
Yes, that's correct the cost of the custom cable is almost the same as the stock cable which is a pretty mediocre sounding cable. It is a bargain to me.  When you compare the cable made with Cardas wire to the stock cable, it really shows how much the stock cable is holding back the sound quality of the headphones.

Where did you get the Cardas Cable.  I have Cardas IC cables in my current HP rig and past speaker rigs but they are very costly.  A pair of used Gold refs 1.5M cost $500.  How much does a custom made Cardas HP cable cost? I am really just curious and thinking would it make sense for my roughly $5-600 HD700s?