[Brando]

I'm thinking about it but I'm not sure if I'll be in over my head or whether it'll be worth it. I've done some soldering but I'm still fairly amateur at it. Assuming it's not too hard to do, will it make a significant difference? How good does the new wire and connector need to be to make a good improvement? I googled around a bit and came across Lawton audio. They use some kind of special cryogenically frozen cable by Jena Labs called ultra wire that they say is the best ever with a Furutech connector that they also say is the best available. Unfortunately it's like $500 to have them do it but I tracked down the components online and I can get all the exact same materials for $150. Can a rookie pull this off? Can I get the same result for far less money? Or should I just not bother? Hope that made sense, I'm getting sleepy

Thanks!

 

[LostOne.TR]

I'm fairly sure you could achieve similar results. However, it might be best to have a practice run with cheaper parts, in regards to cable/connector/headphone, to confirm that you're comfortable taking on the task.

 

[Brando]

Hmm. So what's the general consensus on re cabling headphones? Does it really make a significant difference?

 

[mrarroyo]

Braiding the 4 strands of 18 gauge Jenna is not easy. I would not start w/ such a nice can instead I would try first w/ a cheaper headphone and cable.

 

[panda]

it's dumb, what made you want to do this in the first place? your cable on the fone is perfectly fine as is. if anything by looking at your system, you should consider building a dac.

 

[Brando]

I just got a new source (awesome btw) so no dac any time soon. Maybe a Lavry DA10 someday. Aside from difficulty, is re cabling good? Does it make a difference? Also, is the braiding necessary? Seems like some kind of sleeve would be fine and the braiding would make the cable shorter so I'd have to buy more. So far one vote for no from panda.

 

[Lil' Knight]

Braiding will make your cable look neater and avoid noise. Even when you use the sleeve, your cable should be braided.
If you happen to go with the Jena, try the 22g instead. It's more flexible and easier to braid.
I've just found out a far better wire than the Jena, both in construction and sound, and most importantly, even smaller than the 22g, which is perfect for headphones cable. My ESW10JPN will be very happy with this

 

[Geruvah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil' Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've just found out a far better wire than the Jena, both in construction and sound, and most importantly, even smaller than the 22g, which is perfect for headphones cable. My ESW10JPN will be very happy with this

And you're keeping that info to yourself?

 

[wiatrob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geruvah /img/forum/go_quote.gif And you're keeping that info to yourself?

I have a suspicion see some examples soon

 

[Lil' Knight]

lol @ geruvah and wiatrob.
Yes, samples will be soon

 

[Brando]

So I take it the 3 of you believe in re cabling? How much of a difference are we talking about here?

 

[Lil' Knight]

uhmm, did I say I believe? After going with >6 kinds of cables for my HD650, I finally came back to the stock one. Yes, I slightly felt ("felt", not "heard") some degrade in SQ from my last cables but it serves my most need, light-weight and flexible. I may come back to the Jena cable some time in the future when I have my own room (still living in the dorm now) but now I'm pretty happy with the stock one.
This has been said many times, cable should be your last upgrade. If you think you can use the money (you intend to buy an aftermarket cable) to buy a better source or amp (I'd think the amp makes better improvement than the source!), then do it.
It's not worth spending 500$ for the cable while your source or amp is under that price. When you all finish your rig, then go buy a magic cable like the SAA VOICE and ask yourself "Why the heck didn't I buy this cable sooner? It really makes a HUGE difference!"

 

[Brando]

LOL I would never spend $500 on cable. Installing the Jena cable myself would be the worst case scenario (about $160) IF it made a significant improvement to the phones. Assuming it did it would be a constant bonus with any setup in the future with these phones. Even that is too much by far but I wanted to get a feel for how much could be gained and whether I could do 95% as well with cable that costs 20% as much.

 

[Geruvah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando /img/forum/go_quote.gif LOL I would never spend $500 on cable. Installing the Jena cable myself would be the worst case scenario (about $160) IF it made a significant improvement to the phones. Assuming it did it would be a constant bonus with any setup in the future with these phones. Even that is too much by far but I wanted to get a feel for how much could be gained and whether I could do 95% as well with cable that costs 20% as much.

Now I'm not someone who prefers a side (I'll be doing a DIY cable, too. I'd never pay that much for a cable, in fact my equipment is being a bundle for my birthday present).

But what I wanted to say is this, how many people say the same thing about our headphones? Howabout when they hear how much for our amps? For example, for me, a portable amp isn't worth above $50.

 

[wiatrob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando /img/forum/go_quote.gif snip ...Even that is too much by far but I wanted to get a feel for how much could be gained and whether I could do 95% as well with cable that costs 20% as much.

I agree - esoteric cables are to squeeze that last 5% of SQ out of a rig. And some go to great expense to do so. Wether because they can hear a difference or for pure bragging rights is a judgment I will reserve...