[ns6490]

As a non-believer in fancy cables, I find it interesting that two of our members here had expensive cables but found them to be of no benefit. 

 

 
When I joined headfi it was taken for granted that aftermarket cables for HD600 (and later HD650) improved their sound. Very few people here thought otherwise. Cardas and Zu Mobius were especially popular then. There were much fewer high end phones at that time, with rare and expensive exceptions like K1000, Stax, and R10, so many people didn't mind "upgrading" to fancy cables. Nowadays, I suppose people prefer to plow the money into amps or new headphones instead. 

 

[whirlwind]

 

As a non-believer in fancy cables, I find it interesting that two of our members here had expensive cables but found them to be of no benefit. 

 

 
When I joined headfi it was taken for granted that aftermarket cables for HD600 (and later HD650) improved their sound. Very few people here thought otherwise. Cardas and Zu Mobius were especially popular then. There were much fewer high end phones at that time, with rare and expensive exceptions like K1000, Stax, and R10, so many people didn't mind "upgrading" to fancy cables. Nowadays, I suppose people prefer to plow the money into amps or new headphones instead. 

If I try different cables for my HD650, I think they will be from Norne Audio.
 
I heard the Cardas cable on the HD600, but it was for just a short period of time.......I was not overly impressed at the time....but I am the kind of guy that usually takes a week or two before I can give a fair opinion.

 

[Svperstar]

   
When I joined headfi it was taken for granted that aftermarket cables for HD600 (and later HD650) improved their sound. Very few people here thought otherwise. Cardas and Zu Mobius were especially popular then. There were much fewer high end phones at that time, with rare and expensive exceptions like K1000, Stax, and R10, so many people didn't mind "upgrading" to fancy cables. Nowadays, I suppose people prefer to plow the money into amps or new headphones instead. 

 
Yeah I remember when the K1000 was considered the best dynamic ever and the Sony MDR-SA5000s were the baby R10. Funny I don't see people gushing about the SA5000s theses days but for a time it was uber trendy.

 

[ns6490]

  If I try different cables for my HD650, I think they will be from Norne Audio.
 
I heard the Cardas cable on the HD600, but it was for just a short period of time.......I was not overly impressed at the time....but I am the kind of guy that usually takes a week or two before I can give a fair opinion.

 

 
The wire leading to the driver is very thin, so I would be pretty surprised if aftermarket cables improved the sound.

 

[Svperstar]

One place where the 650 really shines is this song in FLAC. The 3D positioning on the drums starting at the 1 minute mark is ridiculous. The youtube doesn't do it justice.
 

 

[ns6490]

   
Yeah I remember when the K1000 was considered the best dynamic ever and the Sony MDR-SA5000s were the baby R10. Funny I don't see people gushing about the SA5000s theses days but for a time it was uber trendy.

 
Haha, yes. I remember this, too. Audiophiles can be an interesting lot.

 

[mikoss]

The wire leading to the driver is very thin, so I would be pretty surprised if aftermarket cables improved the sound.

While I don't purchase aftermarket cables for the purpose of changing the sound, I think this is kind of misleading. I've seen people post similar pictures to try proving that aftermarket cables aren't worth purchasing, but consider the merits of using a thicker gauge extension cord to plug in something that has smaller gauge wire on its cord... The large, long extension cord is preventing voltage drop that a smaller gauge extension cord would produce. The gauge of the last five feet of cord are inconsequential.

This is all I can think about when I see people posting this at others who consider swapping cables. Now, headphones pull very little current, so voltage drop is not the reason for trying different cables. I'm just suggesting that the gauge of the driver wiring doesn't mean that trying different cables is a pointless endeavor. My opinion, the stock cable could only be improved with a balanced 4 pin xlr connector.

Solder one on, and use the TRS connector as an adapter.

 

[DecentLevi]

Mikoss has some pretty solid points supporting aftermarket cables - then the challenge is just to be able to hear the difference between cables 

 - blind A/B-ing is the only reliable way to compare, otherwise it's just a placebo effect

 

[mikoss]

Ha, sorry if my post comes across as supporting them. I really don't... I just have an opinion on that particular picture of the driver wiring. Blind testing seems to be a waste of time mostly. Nobody can consistently hear the differences, yet if they have a particular preference, I am more than happy with them enjoying it.

I was interested reading Tyll's recent Big Sound posts and not disappointed that some gear was not reliably blind tested. Doesn't make a difference to me... I hear what I hear. Switching from source to source is not the same as enjoying a source for a long while, then replacing it and hearing differences.

 

[Shaffer]

I use quality cables, because my system sounds better with them. All of my HP cables are stock.

 

[ns6490]

While I don't purchase aftermarket cables for the purpose of changing the sound, I think this is kind of misleading. I've seen people post similar pictures to try proving that aftermarket cables aren't worth purchasing, but consider the merits of using a thicker gauge extension cord to plug in something that has smaller gauge wire on its cord... The large, long extension cord is preventing voltage drop that a smaller gauge extension cord would produce. The gauge of the last five feet of cord are inconsequential.

This is all I can think about when I see people posting this at others who consider swapping cables. Now, headphones pull very little current, so voltage drop is not the reason for trying different cables. I'm just suggesting that the gauge of the driver wiring doesn't mean that trying different cables is a pointless endeavor. My opinion, the stock cable could only be improved with a balanced 4 pin xlr connector.

Solder one on, and use the TRS connector as an adapter.

 
Does this say that
 
1) thicker wires can prevent voltage drops but
2) voltage drops aren't a concern for headphones and headphone cables of this length, and
3) despite 2), aftermarket cables aren't a pointless endeavor?
 
Am I being fair to your post?

 

[ns6490]

I use quality cables, because my system sounds better with them. All of my HP cables are stock.

 
Me, too. I have been very satisfied with the quality of cables from Monoprice.

 

[Shaffer]

Me, too. I have been very satisfied with the quality of cables from Monoprice.

Please don't troll. You're more than welcome to use what you like, just as others are free to make their own choices, as well.

 

[ns6490]

Please don't troll. You're more than welcome to use what you like, just as others are free to make their own choices, as well.

 
Strange accusation. We probably merely differ in how we define "quality cables". 
 
For me, it just means a cable that delivers signals between components without audible degradation. Most cables (though not all) I have come across manage to do that and therefore meet my criteria for quality cables. 

 

[Shaffer]

Strange accusation. We probably merely differ in how we define "quality cables". 

For me, it just means a cable that delivers signals between components without audible degradation. Most cables (though not all) I have come across manage to do that and therefore meet my criteria for quality cables. 

This thread is not about cables. Let's move on.