[csglinux]

 
if there is one sure thing in the industry, it's that cable prices mean nothing.
just look into DIY, the "expensive" stuff is the plug.

 
I used to think exactly the same until I went and made myself a couple of cables. Unless you're buying in bulk by the ton, even just for an IEM, four strands of a sufficient length of good-quality silver litz alone will set you back about $100.  Folks should try this as an exercise. Source, braid and solder your own silver litz cables. In terms of parts, you won't get much change from $150 and in terms of time, you won't get much change out of an entire weekend. Making these things by hand would have to be the worst kind of minimum wage job. Some of the fancier hand-braided cables (e.g., Kimber-AXIOS) for over-ear cans are real works of art and can contain a $LOT$ of Ag.

 

[bluesnote]

   
I used to think exactly the same until I went and made myself a couple of cables. Unless you're buying in bulk by the ton, even just for an IEM, four strands of a sufficient length of good-quality silver litz alone will set you back about $100.  Folks should try this as an exercise. Source, braid and solder your own silver litz cables. In terms of parts, you won't get much change from $150 and in terms of time, you won't get much change out of an entire weekend. Making these things by hand would have to be the worst kind of minimum wage job. Some of the fancier hand-braided cables (e.g., Kimber-AXIOS) for over-ear cans are real works of art and can contain a $LOT$ of Ag.

 
 
are you saying that it's more preferred not to DIY?

 

[csglinux]

   
 
are you saying that it's more preferred not to DIY?

 
If I had the money, hell yeah!!! 

 

[Whazzzup]

better cables are made by artisans, they truly look, feel, and sound better. 
I would not consider DIY, then there isn't much Im good at DIYing period. 

 

[bluesnote]

   
If I had the money, hell yeah!!! 

 
 
i am looking to DIY my cables soon.
 
looking forward to this... but I have to gauge cautiously as I will splurge money too on raw plus time and effort.

 

[Jamnperry]

   
 
are you saying that it's more preferred not to DIY?

I agree with him. Those cables are very difficult and are really an art work in some cases. They do make a difference but at a hefty cost. But striving for perfection.. There are worse ways to blow money. And how many people look at us sideways when we tell them how much our earbuds cost.

 

[castleofargh]

Originally Posted by RCBinTN /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I know there is controversy surrounding cable upgrades, but I have personally heard an improvement to my rig SQ by upgrading 1) toslink, 2) interconnects, and 3) headphone cables.  I don't try to measure the improvement, I just hear it.  The measurements are posted over on the Sound Science thread.  @castleofargh can show you the way there.
 
If you're interested, check my profile for current cables.  I will be happy to answer any specific questions.
 
Cheers All,
RCB

I'm not discussing the potential changes in sound from a cable, most people with an IEM like the se846 can easily notice differences from cables and sources. we discussed the impedance impact not long ago and that alone can become very audible on this particular IEM. but this has little to do with the price of a cable and all to do with its electrical behavior.
I just disagreed that a good electrical behavior required serious money. not that cables couldn't have any impact.
 

The aftermarket cables ended up stressing the female mmxc connection in the ear piece. All aftermarket cables fit far less snugly and had more wiggle than the stock cables.

sadly that's a delicate problem. manufacturing inconsistencies will happen. some may wish that their plugs had bigger male parts(^_^) just to ensure very good contact which is a significant element for good conductivity. but sometimes it can lead to forcing the female plug on the IEM and after that, ideal dimensions for the plugs don't work well anymore.
sadly it's one of those shiiiiiit happens thing. the only protection is to never try to plug something using force.
also mmcx cables in general don't like being plugged/unplugged too often.
 

  I used to think exactly the same until I went and made myself a couple of cables. Unless you're buying in bulk by the ton, even just for an IEM, four strands of a sufficient length of good-quality silver litz alone will set you back about $100.  Folks should try this as an exercise. Source, braid and solder your own silver litz cables. In terms of parts, you won't get much change from $150 and in terms of time, you won't get much change out of an entire weekend. Making these things by hand would have to be the worst kind of minimum wage job. Some of the fancier hand-braided cables (e.g., Kimber-AXIOS) for over-ear cans are real works of art and can contain a $LOT$ of Ag.

but do you need silver or litz on a cable used for stupidly low voltage and current with signal in the frequency range of audio? of course we can, and we can also use crazy shielding(but that would most likely just result in increased impedance), and thick insulation for low crosstalk. but we're far in the diminishing return domain. going from copper to silver is IMO a bad return on investment compared to the variations in impedance we can get from picking the right amp with low impedance from the start.
 
anyway, the IEM cable world is IMO a little special in the sense that large diameter cables are horrible to use. so the technically better choices are unlikely to be used in practice, and more than a race between money and signal fidelity, at least for me, it becomes a fight between comfort of use and fidelity.
else we could just use large speaker wire and get real close to 0ohm impedance. but who would want to have that crap hanging from their ears ^_^.  I say that as a joke, but now I remember one 1000$+ cable(can't remember the name sorry, it was with 1+2 IEMs), that I had the fun to try once. it was almost exactly as stupidly impractical as my speaker cable example.  real thick, not at all flexible, a nightmare. I hope it measured amazing because it really had nothing else.

 

[tbritton]

  going from copper to silver is IMO a bad return on investment compared to the variations in impedance we can get from picking the right amp with low impedance from the start.
 

That right there is why the cable thing seems like the homeopathy of the audio world to me.
 
Electrical characteristics of the cable MIGHT be helpful, but if you know nothing about that and what to look for that suits YOUR IEM and amp combo and really think you can go by reviews, I'm afraid it is a shot in the dark, quite literally, as to whether you'll hit upon a good combination and actually get your money's worth.
 
Terry

 

[Quadfather]

It seems as if mid gain on the Questyle QP1R gives the Shure SRH1540s and Shure SE846s their best detail retrieval.  High gain muddies and congests things.

 

[brintamatic]

How do these perform on the plane? I just bought these the other night and have yet to receive them but I don't know if I should really be looking at something like the QC35 or Sony 1000x instead. I have used other IEMs on the plane in the past and it's okay for the first few hours but I end up getting very fatigued and uncomfortable. Also, those IEMs do not eliminate the noise completely unless I have a decent volume going. I travel both domestic and international very frequently.

 

[pCollins]

  How do these perform on the plane? I just bought these the other night and have yet to receive them but I don't know if I should really be looking at something like the QC35 or Sony 1000x instead. I have used other IEMs on the plane in the past and it's okay for the first few hours but I end up getting very fatigued and uncomfortable. Also, those IEMs do not eliminate the noise completely unless I have a decent volume going. I travel both domestic and international very frequently.

 
I have all three and if you travel often, the QC35 or 1000X will be better on a plane than the 846.  The first issue and this is major for me is the pressure that can build during turbulent flights when using IEMs like 846.  Whether you could be susceptible to pain depends on your personal ear anatomy and the level of turbulence.  In the worst scenarios, the pain can last for hours after you land.
 
QC35 and 1000X are better for flights because they cancel the engine noise mostly and they are not IEMs.
 
Patsy

 

[Whazzzup]

  How do these perform on the plane? I just bought these the other night and have yet to receive them but I don't know if I should really be looking at something like the QC35 or Sony 1000x instead. I have used other IEMs on the plane in the past and it's okay for the first few hours but I end up getting very fatigued and uncomfortable. Also, those IEMs do not eliminate the noise completely unless I have a decent volume going. I travel both domestic and international very frequently.

just fine

 

[397324]

I can really hear the TV when listening, so can only imagine what a plane sounds like. I think it's an IEM issue, rather than being specific to the SE846.

 

[csglinux]

   
I have all three and if you travel often, the QC35 or 1000X will be better on a plane than the 846.  The first issue and this is major for me is the pressure that can build during turbulent flights when using IEMs like 846.  Whether you could be susceptible to pain depends on your personal ear anatomy and the level of turbulence.  In the worst scenarios, the pain can last for hours after you land.
 
QC35 and 1000X are better for flights because they cancel the engine noise mostly and they are not IEMs.
 

 
I'm going to play Devil's advocate here. I also travel a lot (domestic & international) and much prefer the SE846 for a noisy plane ride. The sound isolation you get from something like Comply foam P-series is way beyond anything from any active noise-cancelling headphone. Active noise cancelling headphones work ok for low-to-mid frequencies (still not as good as passive isolation from Comply foam though), however, the speed at which electronic noise-cancelling circuits can respond limits their effectiveness at blocking unwanted high-frequency noise. If anybody doubts this - try wearing a non-ported IEM with P-series comply next time you're on a plane (or in some other noisy environment). Then put your favorite TOTL active noise-cancelling headphone over the top and try toggling the active noise cancellation. The IEM foam tip will block so much noise, you won't even be able to hear whether the active noise cancelling circuits are on or off.
 
As for pressure build-up in your ears - that's possible with or without IEMs. Yawning or swallowing  - or, if you're desperate, eating one of those complimentary airline candies - should equilibrate the pressure in your eustachian tube.
 
BTW, for international (i.e., long) flights, it would be worth looking at Sensaphonics' custom shells. For me they don't isolate quite as well as Comply foam, but they exert no pressure on your ear canals, they're super comfy and you can wear them basically forever without any discomfort : http://www.head-fi.org/t/723306/review-sensaphonics-custom-sleeves-in-crystal-blue-for-the-shure-se846

 

[Roen]

I'm going to play Devil's advocate here. I also travel a lot (domestic & international) and much prefer the SE846 for a noisy plane ride. The sound isolation you get from something like Comply foam P-series is way beyond anything from any active noise-cancelling headphone. Active noise cancelling headphones work ok for low-to-mid frequencies (still not as good as passive isolation from Comply foam though), however, the speed at which electronic noise-cancelling circuits can respond limits their effectiveness at blocking unwanted high-frequency noise. If anybody doubts this - try wearing a non-ported IEM with P-series comply next time you're on a plane (or in some other noisy environment). Then put your favorite TOTL active noise-cancelling headphone over the top and try toggling the active noise cancellation. The IEM foam tip will block so much noise, you won't even be able to hear whether the active noise cancelling circuits are on or off.

As for pressure build-up in your ears - that's possible with or without IEMs. Yawning or swallowing  - or, if you're desperate, eating one of those complimentary airline candies - should equilibrate the pressure in your eustachian tube.

BTW, for international (i.e., long) flights, it would be worth looking at Sensaphonics' custom shells. For me they don't isolate quite as well as Comply foam, but they exert no pressure on your ear canals, they're super comfy and you can wear them basically forever without any discomfort : http://www.head-fi.org/t/723306/review-sensaphonics-custom-sleeves-in-crystal-blue-for-the-shure-se846

You also don't have to jack up the bass via EQ with ANC, if you want your music to sound anywhere near what it's supposed to sound like in an airplane cabin.