[GoldfishX]

   
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.

 
Not saying you're wrong, but it's not like these headphones are spring chickens (well, maybe HD700). Wouldn't most people who own them already have aftermarket cables already, if they wanted to upgrade the stock cables?

 

[GoldfishX]

   
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. 

The irony, I had been looking at getting an HD600 for awhile. The damn HD800 balanced cable costs almost exactly as much as HD600 does at face value (I can get the headphone cheaper, as a lot of Senn phones seem discounted right now).
 
I'm wagering the profit margin on the cable trumps the profit margin on the HD600. Eh, Sennheiser?

 

[dotrunghieu]

  380 dollars for a cable...
 

this price kills me 

 

[frix]

ridiculous!
 
As much as I like the overpriced HD800
I don't see me buying this excessively overpriced cable.

 

[devhen]

I saw this on the front page and got REALLY excited. Then I saw the prices.
 
If I was going to buy an overpriced cable I'd rather spend a little over half as much and get one from one of the "little guys".
 
EDIT: I wish my 2,000th post could have been spent on something more positive. Maybe we'll eventually see "refurbished" Sennheiser cables for half the price??? Haha, I doubt it.

 

[songmic]

I don't understand why Sennheiser would provide a warm-sounding copper cable for the already-warm-sounding HD650, and a bright-sounding SPC cable (which is even brighter than pure silver) for the already-bright-sounding HD800? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I was hoping they would address this issue with their balanced cables, but no...
 
But of course, the biggest deal-breaker is the price. Who the hell would pay $380 for what's basically an XLR version of the stock cable? That's more expensive than cables offered by aftermarket 3rd parties (Moon Audio, Double Helix Cables, etc.), which are actually of higher build quality and sound. I think it would make more sense to be able to trade in your stock cable with an XLR version at a small cost, for those who really need an XLR cable.

 

[Canadian411]

I used to buy aftermarket cables but IMO I can't hear any differences when I am blindfolded.
I don't have golden ears like most of people here so for me after market cables are really waste of money.

However, I can hear the differences between SE vs Balanced cables.

Tips : You can buy cardas DIY bulk cables and few connectors, it's way way cheaper than buying from MoonAudio/ALO etc.

 

[steveting99]

I can forsee Sennheiser going into the bling business if these cables sell really well. Those Monster Beats headphones were more of a fashion statement then really about sound quality. These cables are going down the same path. Won't really stop anyone who wants to make a statement from purchasing these cables, but to say these cables are really improving sound quality is stretching the truth a bit too far.::rolleyes:

I'm thinking of getting a pair of HD650 as I like the sound signature from a friends pair. Think I'll skip the balanced cable option.

 

[LifeAspect]

balanced vs unbalanced HDVD800 outputs do make a noticable difference though....has nothing to do with the cable quality though but with the outputs on the amplifer, that and the price of aftermarket cables are actually more expensive for me here in Belgium because I have to import them from America so generally speaking, the price of these in euro are lower than the price of alternatives.

 

[Canadian411]

balanced vs unbalanced HDVD800 outputs do make a noticable difference though....has nothing to do with the cable quality though but with the outputs on the amplifer, that and the price of aftermarket cables are actually more expensive for me here in Belgium because I have to import them from America so generally speaking, the price of these in euro are lower than the price of alternatives.

 


Yes you are right, I meant to say SE vs Balanced setup. HDVD800 is on my next wish list item complete Sennheiser setup...

 

[eugenius]

Finally! Now we can all bask in the glory that is the new Sennheiser!

 

[JefferyK]

"balanced vs unbalanced HDVD800 outputs do make a noticable difference though....has nothing to do with the cable quality though but with the outputs on the amplifer, that and the price of aftermarket cables are actually more expensive for me here in Belgium because I have to import them from America so generally speaking, the price of these in euro are lower than the price of alternatives."

Exactly -- where are all of these balanced aftermarket cables for the HD-800/HDVD-800 combo that cost less than Sennheiser's? I'm in the US, and I ordered the Sennheiser HD-800 cable from the UK. Once VAT was deducted, it cost roughly $350 including shipping. I believe HeadRoom's re-terminated stock cable is $350-ish. Not sure what all of the whining in this thread is about. And there's loads of cable voodoo talk creeping in. If you think the cable is too expensive, don't buy it. It was totally worth it to me. As stated, there is a noticeable difference between unbalanced and balanced on the HDVD-800.

 

[Canadian411]

"balanced vs unbalanced HDVD800 outputs do make a noticable difference though....has nothing to do with the cable quality though but with the outputs on the amplifer, that and the price of aftermarket cables are actually more expensive for me here in Belgium because I have to import them from America so generally speaking, the price of these in euro are lower than the price of alternatives."



Exactly -- where are all of these balanced aftermarket cables for the HD-800/HDVD-800 combo that cost less than Sennheiser's? I'm in the US, and I ordered the Sennheiser HD-800 cable from the UK. Once VAT was deducted, it cost roughly $350 including shipping. I believe HeadRoom's re-terminated stock cable is $350-ish. Not sure what all of the whining in this thread is about. And there's loads of cable voodoo talk creeping in. If you think the cable is too expensive, don't buy it. It was totally worth it to me. As stated, there is a noticeable difference between unbalanced and balanced on the HDVD-800.

 


We all wish that the cable cost less but what can we do ? lol.

Your best bet is to DIY your own cable. Will probably ended up costing around $150ish. ($70 connectors, $50 cable, $20 teflon/heatshrink, $10 etc).

 

[JefferyK]

"balanced vs unbalanced HDVD800 outputs do make a noticable difference though....has nothing to do with the cable quality though but with the outputs on the amplifer, that and the price of aftermarket cables are actually more expensive for me here in Belgium because I have to import them from America so generally speaking, the price of these in euro are lower than the price of alternatives."



Exactly -- where are all of these balanced aftermarket cables for the HD-800/HDVD-800 combo that cost less than Sennheiser's? I'm in the US, and I ordered the Sennheiser HD-800 cable from the UK. Once VAT was deducted, it cost roughly $350 including shipping. I believe HeadRoom's re-terminated stock cable is $350-ish. Not sure what all of the whining in this thread is about. And there's loads of cable voodoo talk creeping in. If you think the cable is too expensive, don't buy it. It was totally worth it to me. As stated, there is a noticeable difference between unbalanced and balanced on the HDVD-800.

 


We all wish that the cable cost less but what can we do ? lol.

Your best bet is to DIY your own cable. Will probably ended up costing around $150ish. ($70 connectors, $50 cable, $20 teflon/heatshrink, $10 etc).

Well, I would have loved to DIY my own cable . . . but I'm dumb: I don't know how! ! So I had no choice but to buy one. I did shop around and I did not find one under $350. Maybe I didn't look hard enough.

Even if I had found one, I'm not sure I would have bought it. The HDVD-800 amp was a big investment for me. I want to get the most that I can out of it. That means using a balanced cable. I bought the Sennheiser balanced cable because Sennheiser engineered my amp and Sennheiser engineered my HD-800 headphones, so I trust that Sennheiser knew what they were doing when they engineered the cable to connect the two. These Germans aren't amateurs, okay? ! Not remotely interested in trying to "tune" the headphones by using cables made by other manufacturers. Tried that before with a previous setup. Not worth the money in the long run, IMHO, and I am not interested in going there with my current setup.

 

[lovehurts]

No thanks.