[WilliamLeonhart]

I once got a “premium” custom cable that was packaged with the K7xx I bought. I did hear a difference, not just with my K7xx but with my friend’s Q701 too - the sound kinda smooths out and “feels” cleaner. But the cable costed half that of the phones (the old owner kinda gave it to me as a gift) and I have never justified buying cables. I do think they make a difference, but whether that difference is good or whether it’s worth the price is another story.

 

[GU1DO]

There's no point in arguing about cables making music sound better when your amps and DACs use off the shelf hookup wires for their wiring. The PCBs use normal copper traces. There are no esoteric internals as far as I know except for those top of the line equipment like Gryphon or MBL or Goldmund. Even then, most amps use off the shelf Alps RK27 for volume attenuation and probably the fancier ones use Lorlin switches for channel switching.

If this cable argument makes some sense, that things sound very good and a lot better with better cables, then all these off the shelf parts will decimate - no, obliterate the sound quality of any equipment because they're not premium parts. None of the transformers are audiophile quality. Open your amps and you got normal Panasonic or Nichicon capacitors. The resistors are all metal film or wirewound, the transistors are all off the shelf stuff that you can get from Element14 or Digikey or Mouser. They are all normal parts.

I promise you. I promise you, they are all normal parts. Why should premium headphone cables make normal parts sound better? They don't!
Cables with continuity either work or work poorly. If they sound good and similar to other cables, then they work.

As long as you think sound is just ones and zeroes and bunch of electronic parts and convince your self that cables are all the same ,, you will not hear any difference ,, just that you cant hear how this cable or that effect the sound , it doesn't mean that effect is not there ,, it means that your ears didnt catch it, or your brain is ignoring that extra data based on your prejudges..

Beside that i dont understand how cable could sound bad but could NOT sound better and deliver a better experience ??
it is either all cables are the same, OR some are better then others !
and once you say this cable is better you could say on another cable it is much better.

 

[Letmebefrank]

As long as you think sound is just ones and zeroes and bunch of electronic parts and convince your self that cables are all the same ,, you will not hear any difference ,, just that you cant hear how this cable or that effect the sound , it doesn't mean that effect is not there ,, it means that your ears didnt catch it, or your brain is ignoring that extra data based on your prejudges..

Beside that i dont understand how cable could sound bad but could NOT sound better and deliver a better experience ??
it is either all cables are the same, OR some are better then others !
and once you say this cable is better you could say on another cable it is much better.

Better than what though? At some point you're going to be replicating the signal that's coming out of the amp perfectly at the headphone and you can't get any better than that. Most cables aren't active.

People say that silver wire increases treble, but I would wager it's just degrading bass and mids.

 

[jimmers]

... Beside that i dont understand how cable could sound bad but could NOT sound better and deliver a better experience ??
...

I don't understand how you don't understand this.
If you have a cable that gets the signal from the source to the destination with insignificant degradation it is easy to modify it so that it doesn't do that anymore, i.e. make it sound bad - add significant resistance, inductance or capacitance in series with the load or in parallel with it and the performance will be degraded, i.e. made worse,, but how do you make that original cable better?. If there are insignificant amounts resistance, inductance or capacitance will removing them make it better?

If you have some kind of "magic" cable that adds quality - how short does it have to be before the "magic" disappears?

 

[Shazb0t]

There is no magic in cables. Audio signals can be easily measured. Any of the commonly used conductors in audio cables will transmit a signal without any audible degradation. There is no active element in cables that is modifying the audio signal. Any differences you think you hear are the result of the processor between your ears. This has already been proven by measurements and double blind listening studies. Cable manufacturers will NEVER provide measurement proof of audible changes in their cables in their marketing materials because there aren't any. They rely on people not being educated in audiophilia and take advantage of one of our least reliable senses (hearing).

There is a reason that drug manufacturers, and other industries where definitive claims are made, have to be approved by peer reviewed scientific studies. Otherwise you would have to just trust whatever claims that manufacturers make. People are smart enough not to do that when it comes to drugs, but don't care about any scrutiny when it comes to many audio products. Obviously the stakes aren't as high, but it is annoying to have to see these discussions constantly when the answer is already definitive.

This thread will be imminently "cleaned". Sound science is the forum where you can have a rational discussion on this topic and I recommend that some of you check it out once in a while.

 

[Bazirker]

Oh god we're talking about cables

 

[GU1DO]

There is no magic in cables. Audio signals can be easily measured. Any of the commonly used conductors in audio cables will transmit a signal without any audible degradation. There is no active element in cables that is modifying the audio signal. Any differences you think you hear are the result of the processor between your ears. This has already been proven by measurements and double blind listening studies. Cable manufacturers will NEVER provide measurement proof of audible changes in their cables in their marketing materials because there aren't any. They rely on people not being educated in audiophilia and take advantage of one of our least reliable senses (hearing).

There is a reason that drug manufacturers, and other industries where definitive claims are made, have to be approved by peer reviewed scientific studies. Otherwise you would have to just trust whatever claims that manufacturers make. People are smart enough not to do that when it comes to drugs, but don't care about any scrutiny when it comes to many audio products. Obviously the stakes aren't as high, but it is annoying to have to see these discussions constantly when the answer is already definitive.

This thread will be imminently "cleaned". Sound science is the forum where you can have a rational discussion on this topic and I recommend that some of you check it out once in a while.

any audiophile will tell you the opposite of what you said , but yeah i agree its not the place to discuss this matter ,,
its just that i commented on the findings of the previous member and we got dragged on the subject .. sorry my bad.

 

[Allanmarcus]

any audiophile will tell you the opposite of what you said , but yeah i agree its not the place to discuss this matter ,,
its just that i commented on the findings of the previous member and we got dragged on the subject .. sorry my bad.

I’m an audiophile and I agree completely with what shazb0t said

 

[Stabby]

Speaking of cables, I want one that's shorter (1.5m). Does anyone have the NewFantasia/Future Win replacement cable for HD600/HD650? How is the build quality? Please don't mention sound quality as I'm very sure there is no difference.

 

[jaywillin]

Speaking of cables, I want one that's shorter (1.5m). Does anyone have the NewFantasia/Future Win replacement cable for HD600/HD650? How is the build quality? Please don't mention sound quality as I'm very sure there is no difference.

i've have had a couple of the new fantasia cables, the quality very good

 

[DavidA]

Speaking of cables, I want one that's shorter (1.5m). Does anyone have the NewFantasia/Future Win replacement cable for HD600/HD650? How is the build quality? Please don't mention sound quality as I'm very sure there is no difference.

Had a NewFantasia cable for HD700 and HE400 back a few years ago, nice looking and a good bargain, only issue that might affect some is the fabric covering could sometimes be microphonic with some types of clothing per my old GF while I never experienced any microphonics with the cables.

 

[aisalen]

i've have had a couple of the new fantasia cables, the quality very good

I have two pieces incoming ordered from AliExpress for 20usd each to be use with my 650/600. Looks the same, the only difference is the connector to the phone is black color. The reason I ordered it is because of the length is shorter compared to the stock and it is nice looking cable. For the SQ, nah I do not believe on it and will not waste money over it.

 

[Sabron]

I brought into the HD6XX hype at the start of 2017, so I paid $199 like many others and waited a staggering 3 months for them.
When I received them, I plugged them into my Schiit Fulla 2 that was previously occupied by my M40xs, so as you can tell these were my first audiophile headphones.
Now I know the HD6XX is said to scale up extremely well but my review is based on the sound signature and I don't think a better AMP will really change anything but I'm no expert.
it has been 1 month of listening to a lot of music with these and while I'm disappointed to say that they might not be for me, I now know what I possibly enjoy in cans.

These headphones have great detail and separation, you can very well hear the different instruments and pin point them out, its no exaggeration when people say they are detailed and have great resolution.
I'm not a bass head, and don't really know about bass that much but these headphones had a good low end, nothing amazing but it didn't matter to me much as previously stated.
When it comes to mids, the vocals are the best I've heard. Both female and male vocals are very enjoyable and come to life on these headphones, something that the HD650 is legendary for.
Now the sound signature, is very relaxing and very non-fatiguing on the ears, this is obviously due to the rolled off highs, and from what I've heard, this is what Sennheiser is known for.

With everything I liked said, what puts me off with these headphones is that they sound too smooth for me, I used to be able to enjoy synthwave and trance.
Coming from my previous headphones, it feels like someone took my knife and chopped off the tip, and then sanded it down to where there is no sharpness at all.
I struggled to enjoy high frequency noises with the HD650 and its taken the life out of my said listening preferences.
The treble is one thing I really dislike about the HD650, in other words if I don't put my volume loud enough, it feels as if I've come across some sort of veil here,
but I'm not sure if that's to be confused with the smoothness.
I also feel as if the entirety of the headphone is very laid back and feels slow sometimes, which is a bad pairing with certain music genres but good with others, a double etched sword here.
I'd also like to point out the clamping force is sort of annoying but everyone has a different head.

EDIT: I have mixed feelings about these, but for $199 I'd say they are definitely worth the price despite the additional AMP/DAC Cost to power these.

 

[Allanmarcus]

I brought into the HD6XX hype at the start of 2017, so I paid $199 like many others and waited a staggering 3 months for them.
When I received them, I plugged them into my Schiit Fulla 2 that was previously occupied by my M40xs, so as you can tell these were my first audiophile headphones.
Now I know the HD6XX is said to scale up extremely well but my review is based on the sound signature and I don't think a better AMP will really change anything but I'm no expert.
it has been 1 month of listening to a lot of music with these and while I'm disappointed to say that they might not be for me, I now know what I possibly enjoy in cans.

These headphones have great detail and separation, you can very well hear the different instruments and pin point them out, its no exaggeration when people say they are detailed and have great resolution.
I'm not a bass head, and don't really know about bass that much but these headphones had a good low end, nothing amazing but it didn't matter to me much as previously stated.
When it comes to mids, the vocals are the best I've heard. Both female and male vocals are very enjoyable and come to life on these headphones, something that the HD650 is legendary for.
Now the sound signature, is very relaxing and very non-fatiguing on the ears, this is obviously due to the rolled off highs, and from what I've heard, this is what Sennheiser is known for.

With everything I liked said, what puts me off with these headphones is that they sound too smooth for me, I used to be able to enjoy synthwave and trance.
Coming from my previous headphones, it feels like someone took my knife and chopped off the tip, and then sanded it down to where there is no sharpness at all.
I struggled to enjoy high frequency noises with the HD650 and its taken the life out of my said listening preferences.
The treble is one thing I really dislike about the HD650, in other words if I don't put my volume loud enough, it feels as if I've come across some sort of veil here,
but I'm not sure if that's to be confused with the smoothness.
I also feel as if the entirety of the headphone is very laid back and feels slow sometimes, which is a bad pairing with certain music genres but good with others, a double etched sword here.
I'd also like to point out the clamping force is sort of annoying but everyone has a different head.

EDIT: I have mixed feelings about these, but for $199 I'd say they are definitely worth the price despite the additional AMP/DAC Cost to power these.

Try a little EQ.

 

[RickB]

I brought into the HD6XX hype at the start of 2017, so I paid $199 like many others and waited a staggering 3 months for them.
When I received them, I plugged them into my Schiit Fulla 2 that was previously occupied by my M40xs, so as you can tell these were my first audiophile headphones.
Now I know the HD6XX is said to scale up extremely well but my review is based on the sound signature and I don't think a better AMP will really change anything but I'm no expert.
it has been 1 month of listening to a lot of music with these and while I'm disappointed to say that they might not be for me, I now know what I possibly enjoy in cans.

These headphones have great detail and separation, you can very well hear the different instruments and pin point them out, its no exaggeration when people say they are detailed and have great resolution.
I'm not a bass head, and don't really know about bass that much but these headphones had a good low end, nothing amazing but it didn't matter to me much as previously stated.
When it comes to mids, the vocals are the best I've heard. Both female and male vocals are very enjoyable and come to life on these headphones, something that the HD650 is legendary for.
Now the sound signature, is very relaxing and very non-fatiguing on the ears, this is obviously due to the rolled off highs, and from what I've heard, this is what Sennheiser is known for.

With everything I liked said, what puts me off with these headphones is that they sound too smooth for me, I used to be able to enjoy synthwave and trance.
Coming from my previous headphones, it feels like someone took my knife and chopped off the tip, and then sanded it down to where there is no sharpness at all.
I struggled to enjoy high frequency noises with the HD650 and its taken the life out of my said listening preferences.
The treble is one thing I really dislike about the HD650, in other words if I don't put my volume loud enough, it feels as if I've come across some sort of veil here,
but I'm not sure if that's to be confused with the smoothness.
I also feel as if the entirety of the headphone is very laid back and feels slow sometimes, which is a bad pairing with certain music genres but good with others, a double etched sword here.
I'd also like to point out the clamping force is sort of annoying but everyone has a different head.

EDIT: I have mixed feelings about these, but for $199 I'd say they are definitely worth the price despite the additional AMP/DAC Cost to power these.

You might like the HD600 better. They have a little more treble energy.