[coldmack]

Is this just on their IE line or does the CX6 and lower end CX model have this feature also? 

 

[Poetik]

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Did a little search and decided to steal this from another thread: 
 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Upgrade-Cable-SENNHEISER-IE8-Night-stalker-IE8-/110574283606?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bebdab56
 
I got this one and when I first tried it, it sounded identical to the original cable. I let them burn in for 3 weeks with the IsoTek CD. After, I noticed a change right away. The highs are brighter, the thick sennheiser bass sound is gone but still has the impact that I like, and there is more 'air' around the music. The cable itself is thin and the connectors don't lock in place like they do with the stock cable but I'm really enjoying the sound now. I can now crank the bass dial without getting overwhelmed!
 

I just received my ebay cable and for the most part I agree with Rip N'Burn.  The treble definitely has some sparkle now, instrument separation is much more apparent, the soundstage width is about the same but it seems to have added more depth (up and down if that makes sense), and also the thick hazy veil is lifted from the sound.  The mids don't really seem to be brought out too much but they're more enjoyable since the overall thick and dark hazyness has been lifted.  The bass impact is still at a good level and I still wouldn't want to boost the bass lever past the lowest setting. 
 
Build quality wise I believe the stock cable is much better and also it's less microphonic.  The ebay cable has a sort of memory that it's been rolled up that's pretty annoying but maybe it'll get better with time.  If only the ebay cable was shielded in the same material that the stock cable was made with then it would be great.  The cable is very thin and reminds me of the es2 cable but with a harder less flexible material.  I really like the memory wire as they fit around my ear to the point where the ie8's sit pretty flush with my ear. 
 
The difference is definitely obvious from the instant you change the cable.  In my opinion those who say they can't hear a difference between cables aren't really listening well enough.  After listening to my tf10's I've realized that I've wanted more highs out of the ie8 and this did the trick.  I still have to do comparisons to my tf10's on which iem's I like better but I can say that I wouldn't want anymore sparkle out of the ie8's now.  In the end I'll probably keep the stock ie8 cable for when I want to work out at the gym and use the ebay cable for most of the time I listen to my ie8's.  Overall I'm pretty happy with the $50 spent as it addressed most of the issues I had sound wise with the ie8. 
 

 

[rangerid]

Thanks for the review Poetik!  Did you find the cable made the treble up to par or close to the TF10s?

 

[poliact]

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Look. There is no real reason to buy an upgrade cable for the ie8 actually. The stock cable is very sturdy and well build. And it is kelvar coated so it might save your life. Most upgrade cables are not cosmetically as good. So maybe it does sound better, But it does not gurantee that its bettter than the original. Take the Tf10 for reference to this. Most people only chose to upgrade to es2 because the stock cable was terrible. Now imagine that the stock cable was es2 itself. Ask yourself, would you upgrade it to twag? Some will, but not all will. Bottom line is, dont repair whats not broken. People constantly finding for these upgrades are just deceiving themselves.
 
.02

Lol that whole post is funny because it's coming from someone who owns an HD650 with a silver cable.  I just wanted to add a few opinions on what you've written above.
 
First you state, "Most upgrade cables are not cosmetically as good".  Maybe I haven't seen "all" the cables out there but from the ones I've owned so far (moon audio blue dragon, apuresound v3, and MarkL jena labs), have easily been cosmetically superior to the stock cables and in most cases, more solidly built. 
 
You also state, "So maybe it does sound better, But it does not gurantee that its bettter than the original".   I actually agree with this one as everything has it's strength's and weaknesses.  One cable might open up the sound stage and highs but at the cost of sounding thin while another cable could do the exact opposite.  We all know in the end it's all down to personal preference but then you go on to state this:
 
"Bottom line is, dont repair whats not broken. People constantly finding for these upgrades are just deceiving themselves".  So basically what you're saying is that even though you can upgrade the look, build quality, and sound of your headphone then you shouldn't unless the cable is malfunctioning or broken? For some reason that just doesn't seem right to me..
 
Now I can understand that you're trying to spare people the pain of spending needless money but if there is any improvement to be gained I'm sure someone, especially an enthusiast, will probably most likely do it. 
 
Now I'm curious, did you find a better sound with your recabled HD650's? Was it better built / does it look better than the stock cable?  Also was the HD650 cable broken before you replaced it with another one? You know because, "Bottom line is, dont repair whats not broken." right?

Hmm the hd650 that i got came with a diyed silver cable. My opinion stands on the emphasis of ie8 mostly. most upgrade cables i have seen has either spawn from mainland, or is locally diyed. I have tried a couple of it and no matter how much i try to justify a reason to get them, i couldnt as i still thought the original one was better. I thought the craftmanship was not on par. Ts is looking at a cable from ebay.With no information whatsoever from a company less known, the risk he is taking is enormous. Now when you compare the 650 to the ie8, the 650 has been in the market for many years. The aftermath cable support for it is quite firm from many different companies with reputable status. So its 2 things differently we are comparing. Since the ie8 is still new to the replacable cables area, the support towards it is not as strong like those of others iems. Thats why i chose not to repair my already working cable.
 
ps- The biggest reason i use the silver cable over the stock 650 cables is cos it is 3.5 terminated, and it is only .8m long compared to the 3m cable. Dreadful XD
 

 

[Poetik]

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Thanks for the review Poetik!  Did you find the cable made the treble up to par or close to the TF10s?

I'm still in the process of testing it out.  Mostly just listening to the ie8's and burning in the cable right now.  I have a feeling the tf10's will still be a notch brighter but I'll report back within the next day or so. 

 

[krismusic]

From your initial reaction it sounds almost too good to be true. Shame about the physical shortcomings of the cable though. The stock IE8 cable really is excellent. I wish someone like Moon would make a premium aftermarket cable for the '8's. I would happily pay top dollar for a cable that had the atributes you describe plus good build quality. I await further impressions with interest.

 

[Burma Jones]

Quote:

From your initial reaction it sounds almost too good to be true. Shame about the physical shortcomings of the cable though. The stock IE8 cable really is excellent. I wish someone like Moon would make a premium aftermarket cable for the '8's. I would happily pay top dollar for a cable that had the atributes you describe plus good build quality. I await further impressions with interest.

They have an IE8 cable at Whiplash Audio for around $250 US.

 

[Poetik]

Quote:

From your initial reaction it sounds almost too good to be true. Shame about the physical shortcomings of the cable though. The stock IE8 cable really is excellent. I wish someone like Moon would make a premium aftermarket cable for the '8's. I would happily pay top dollar for a cable that had the atributes you describe plus good build quality. I await further impressions with interest.

Yea I wish the cable was in a better sheath but the sound differences are there.  I'm pretty sure that $250 cable would sound great so krismusic you should buy one and post your impressions on here too.  Also moon audio just developed some iem cables: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527035/hot-new-moon-audio-com-silver-dragon-iem-cable.  Maybe they'll have one out for the ie8 soon enough?

 

[krismusic]

I'll have to get some money together and put it where my mouth is!

It will be  a bit of an act of faith though as there is not even pics on the whiplash site. Does anyone know how flexible this cable is and how comfortable it is likely to be around the ear? Happy Christmas BTW!
 
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From your initial reaction it sounds almost too good to be true. Shame about the physical shortcomings of the cable though. The stock IE8 cable really is excellent. I wish someone like Moon would make a premium aftermarket cable for the '8's. I would happily pay top dollar for a cable that had the atributes you describe plus good build quality. I await further impressions with interest.

Yea I wish the cable was in a better sheath but the sound differences are there.  I'm pretty sure that $250 cable would sound great so krismusic you should buy one and post your impressions on here too.  Also moon audio just developed some iem cables: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/527035/hot-new-moon-audio-com-silver-dragon-iem-cable.  Maybe they'll have one out for the ie8 soon enough?

 

[ahullsb]

I just came across this thread.  They apparently aren't tough enough for my cat, do you think it's best for me to just buy the replacements from them?  Any tip would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ahullsb]

I just came across this thread.  They apparently aren't tough enough for my cat, do you think it's best for me to just buy the replacements from them?  Any tip would be greatly appreciated.

 

[t1tan1um]

It dosen't say on www.sennheier.com that it has a Kevlar®-reinforced cable like they say for example on the CX680. If it had such a cable i think they will surely specify it. I think the marketing department would praise this important feature. So what makes you so sure?