[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader Thanks for the answer, so Mobius is the hardest one to do right? If SD is harder to connect than Mobius, I might give up the idea of cable chaning.

The Zu is the only one thats hard to get on. The good part is.....once it's on, you really don't have any desire to ever replace it with another one.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader Hi, have you tried 10 feet one too?

Yes, I didn't notice any big difference but I also wasn't looking for it. A cable would have to be a very unusal design or in a high noise environment for it to make much of a difference.

 

[3lusiv3]

I found no audible difference from plugging my headphones into my receiver's headphone jack and from using a $5 5 metre headphone extension cable into the same headphone jack.

 

[Reader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3lusiv3 I found no audible difference from plugging my headphones into my receiver's headphone jack and from using a $5 5 metre headphone extension cable into the same headphone jack.

$5 5 metre cable?!!!

So you believe cable make no difference?

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader $5 5 metre cable?!!! So you believe cable make no difference?

Sure it does, that's why he got the expensive one.

 

[3lusiv3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reader $5 5 metre cable?!!! So you believe cable make no difference?

I haven't tried the HD 650, but the 3 headphones I have sound the same straight into the headphone jack and with a $5 headphone extension cable. This doesn't mean a HD 650 won't be affected by a cable upgrade. I am not experienced anough to answer this.

 

[Canman]

I wouldn't worry too much about the extra 5ft if you need it to sit comfortably.

On my Stax I use a 5 meter extension and it only causes the slightest amount of high end rolloff. In the end its a worthwhile tradeoff so I can listen wherever I want to in my apartment.

Jazz, the SD and the Zu have surprisingly different tonal balances. I think choosing the best one will be highly system dependent. My cable choice right now is the Silver Dragon.


Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ BTW, did you also consider the Zu Mobius? To my ears (and in my setup) it's the more accurate and more musical cable.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman Jazz, the SD and the Zu have surprisingly different tonal balances. I think choosing the best one will be highly system dependent. My cable choice right now is the Silver Dragon.

Yes, they're really quite different. I have played with different sources (963SA CD and SACD, -->DAC2) and amps (EMP, HA-2, Prehead prototype, direct connection to DAC) though, with identical results, so it also seems to be a matter of individual perception and preference. I don't think the Zu is really neutral, because obviously no cable is, just like no electronic component.

After all I can absolutely hear the Silver Dragon's qualities, to my ears the HD 650 just doesn't sound very natural with it, whereas it does with the Mobius, at least to a higher degree.

 

[purk]

I talked to Drew of Moon-Audio and he said that the length should not affect the sound of the Silver Dragon (for 3 to 5 meter cable only).

 

[Reader]

Thanks for the inputs guys, so far most people think the difference is minor. More inputs please.

 

[purk]

Reader,

Why don't just give Drew of Moon-Audio a call? You can go to www.moon-audio.com and just give a guy a call. He will answer you with everything. Drew is a great guy to deal with. Very friendly.

 

[JaZZ]

If you believe that every cable design has a specific sonic signature (the intention behind this thread), this implies that none of them is absolutely neutral, hence every cable degrades the signal to a certain degree, although not measurably. So why should an additional piece of 5 feet leave the signal unaltered?

I say every meter makes a difference. The only question is: will it be audible to you or will it really be of any significance. I even don't clearly know myself if I prefer the sound of the shorter variant, although I tend to think so. On the other hand, the difference is not worldshaking. Nevertheless it does exist. (And independent of what the manufacturer may claim.)

Anders had a good point: If the greater length allows a more comfortable listening position, this may be of importance for the listening pleasure, too.

 

[Anders]

A good example of manufacturer claims is Grado (from their webpage):

"Grado offers a 15 foot (450cm) extension cable terminated with a 1/4 inch (6.3mm) plug and a 1/4 inch (6.3mm) jack. This cable is constructed from the same high quality wire as their headphone cable. For longer lengths the cable may be piggybacked up to 3 cables. Grado guarantees no degradation of sonic quality with Grado headphones while using their extension cable."

I happend to hear a degradation with only ony length of their extension cable with a Grado headphone. It was RS-1 and for some reason this has a cable with a higher high quality wire than in their models below SR-325 and their extension cable.

Convinience can also be important and you sometimes have to choose. In this case I chose not to use the Grado extension cable. A better extension cable is a possible choice.

 

[Reader]

Errr, this is hard, guess I might just filp a coin

 

[Reader]

Update, After tossed a coin I bought the 10 feet one...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ Yes, they're really quite different. I have played with different sources (963SA CD and SACD, -->DAC2) and amps (EMP, HA-2, Prehead prototype, direct connection to DAC) though, with identical results, so it also seems to be a matter of individual perception and preference. I don't think the Zu is really neutral, because obviously no cable is, just like no electronic component.

Prehead prototype? Isn't it already out? Or it's prototype of Prehead-2?