[Currawong]

  I'd much rather put $200-$400 into something like Toxic Cables or Double Helix Cables, but it's also nice to have an officail cable for the same headphone, so to speak.

 
That's the thing: People here who are going to buy an aftermarket balanced cable are going to get one from one of the small guys that doesn't have to double the price to allow for dealer margins, which is what I think is going on here.

 

[Lzingano]

Well... I think we should wait for a comparison to see if they are really worth the premium or not, how about that? perhaps they are THAT good afterall?

 

[00lunar]

My guess is, that official balanced Sennheiser cables are the old ones, but terminated with 4-pin connectors, no innards changed. I know, theorycrafting here, let's wait for some tests. But if I'm right, those really need to be replaced by something better.

 

[louis9]

How does this sennheiser cable compare it with moon audio black dragon cable?

 

[00lunar]

  How does this sennheiser cable compare it with moon audio black dragon cable?

Have no idea about those, I'm using different one, aftermarket as well. It makes lots of good things to my HD 800.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

  Well... I think we should wait for a comparison to see if they are really worth the premium or not, how about that? perhaps they are THAT good afterall?

 
+1  It's only fair.

 

[jeffreyfranz]

  I paid $1500 for a headphone, the balanced cable should come with the damn thing.

 
No crap! My feelings exactly. My HD-800 has given me immense joy, but c'mon, manufacturers, must you squeeze extra profit out of your customers at every possible opportunity? By comparison, look at what Audeze includes with their headphones. Sennheiser is not alone in this, to be sure, but still. 

 

[tvolpe1600]

The pricing on these cables is outrageous. Any member of this community knows to spend that much money on aftermarket cables from a small custom shop that will produce a higher quality product. Huge Senn fail.

 

[00lunar]

The pricing on these cables is outrageous. Any member of this community knows to spend that much money on aftermarket cables from a small custom shop that will produce a higher quality product. Huge Senn fail.

This. To some degree at least for now.

 

[OICWUTUDIDTHAR]

The pricing on these cables is outrageous. Any member of this community knows to spend that much money on aftermarket cables from a small custom shop that will produce a higher quality product. Huge Senn fail.

 
When there are people willing to buy $300 USB and Power Cables that scientifically speaking can have zero sonic sound difference from their $2 counter parts, you can't really blame Sennheiser for trying to get their foot in the door, although I would of though better of a German company.
 
That being said, I have to say that I prefer the stock HD800  (and now the CH800s as well) cable to any other simply because of the fit and finish. The cable is really well built and fits the headphone very well.

 

[viveksaikia22]

I can DIY the cables, sans the fancy connectors, with same or higher quality, at a fraction of the cost.
C'Mon Sennheiser....STOP fooling around!! 

 

[linglingjr]

   
When there are people willing to buy $300 USB and Power Cables that scientifically speaking can have zero sonic sound difference from their $2 counter parts, you can't really blame Sennheiser for trying to get their foot in the door, although I would of though better of a German company.
 
That being said, I have to say that I prefer the stock HD800  (and now the CH800s as well) cable to any other simply because of the fit and finish. The cable is really well built and fits the headphone very well.

 
I can REALLY blame sennheiser for getting in the snake oil magic cable market. When small companies make crazy claims and charge insane prices that the majority of people don't take seriously that's just fine, it's not like they make a huge amount of low-high end headphones/audio equipment. If this says something says about sennheiser's future marketing plans it sure isn't positive.

 

[OICWUTUDIDTHAR]

   
I can REALLY blame sennheiser for getting in the snake oil magic cable market. When small companies make crazy claims and charge insane prices that the majority of people don't take seriously that's just fine, it's not like they make a huge amount of low-high end headphones/audio equipment. If this says something says about sennheiser's future marketing plans it sure isn't positive.

 
They are a business, they are in it to make $$$. I'm not saying it's right, but it's true. There is obviously a reasonably large market that's willing to pay for these cables.

 

[Gruffnutz]

...HiFiguy means they voiced these cables specifically for the headphone (since I haven't seen or heard it yet - or received technical info, this could mean anything from using a certain geometry, dialectric, material science): all of these things could be employed in order to find a cable that mates well with the headphones. It's all about synergy - so lets see what happens!

 
So much BS here.  Anyone out there 'voicing' cables is both deluded and no longer in the fidelity business.  The much vaunted 'synergy' is simply the flawed process of attempting to correct design deficiencies in one part of a system by overlaying 'compensating' design deficiencies in another.  It's like trying to catch smoke...

 

[OICWUTUDIDTHAR]

Also, since Senn is getting into the snake oil cable market, you think they would of at least made these cables out of pure silver instead of OFC!

 
(I still think the hd800 cable is very nice though construction wise, better then any aftermarket, but still)