FrederikS|TPU
1000+ Head-Fier
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- Nov 29, 2007
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Introduction: SK LiveWires T1 Cable 26G SPC Teflon
First of all I would like to thank Steve for making this introductory run to let the interested parties try out his cables. Since the cable is just a prototype it is not as solid nor as good looking as the final version according to Steve.
So I got this LiveWires cable made by Steve from a fellow head-fier a little over a week ago and been enjoying testing it out. The cable is made from 26G SPC and will cost about $130 once released. I tested the cable in my normal portable rig which consists of a Cowon D2, a custom solid silver interconnect made by n_maher, and last but not least a RSA Tomahawk on low gain.
I will try and make this review short, informal, and hopefully informative. I might change one or two things regarding the pictures as I am a flickr noob.
Looks & Construction
The cable looks really good. It has some black tech flex wrapped around the lower part and the y-joint is neatly heatshrinked together. Because of the tech flex the lower part of the cable is tangle free, however, the exposed cable after the y-split is more prone to get tangled up due to the way the four wires are rolled up. Nothing horrible, but you have to twist them a bit when you want to loop the cable for over the ear use.
The connector for each of the earpieces is exactly the same as used on the original LiveWires cable. Now the mini jack is of a really good quality. Gold plated tip of course with a rock solid housing just the way it ought to be.
It is clear that the cable is of a completely different quality than the normal ones. The build quality even on this prototype is way ahead of anything ever to leave the production plants of any of the big companies. I sincerely hope that Steve will consider spray painting the connectors black (un-bling mod).
Performance
This cable does not alter the sound of the LiveWires that much, actually it is more of a refinement of what the stock cable already does. The sound is smoother yet a wee bit more detailed. Frequency response wise there is a little increase in the deep bass. The higher midrange is toned down just a tad which to my ears is a welcome change, but otherwise it leaves the sound relatively unchanged. If you want a smoother, more refined sound this cable is definitely something you should try out. The small details a bit easier to define with the SK cable.
Perhaps some will consider this cable an inferior choice because the sound is a bit less aggressive, and thus not as suitable for some types of music like heavy metal or some other intense music genre. The subtle change to the sound characteristics of the earphones is in my mind enough to warrant the existence of this particular aftermarket cable.
Microphonic noise is a little worse than with the normal LiveWires cable, but the difference is so minute that you do not notice it under normal circumstances. Overall the tradeoff between durability and microphonic noise is a good one, the tech flex makes the cable less prone tangling and boosts the durability of it.
All in all I find the SK cable well worth the asking price of $130 and it gets a wholeheartedly recommendation from me.
Regards,
Frederik
First of all I would like to thank Steve for making this introductory run to let the interested parties try out his cables. Since the cable is just a prototype it is not as solid nor as good looking as the final version according to Steve.
So I got this LiveWires cable made by Steve from a fellow head-fier a little over a week ago and been enjoying testing it out. The cable is made from 26G SPC and will cost about $130 once released. I tested the cable in my normal portable rig which consists of a Cowon D2, a custom solid silver interconnect made by n_maher, and last but not least a RSA Tomahawk on low gain.
I will try and make this review short, informal, and hopefully informative. I might change one or two things regarding the pictures as I am a flickr noob.
Looks & Construction
The cable looks really good. It has some black tech flex wrapped around the lower part and the y-joint is neatly heatshrinked together. Because of the tech flex the lower part of the cable is tangle free, however, the exposed cable after the y-split is more prone to get tangled up due to the way the four wires are rolled up. Nothing horrible, but you have to twist them a bit when you want to loop the cable for over the ear use.
The connector for each of the earpieces is exactly the same as used on the original LiveWires cable. Now the mini jack is of a really good quality. Gold plated tip of course with a rock solid housing just the way it ought to be.
It is clear that the cable is of a completely different quality than the normal ones. The build quality even on this prototype is way ahead of anything ever to leave the production plants of any of the big companies. I sincerely hope that Steve will consider spray painting the connectors black (un-bling mod).
Performance
This cable does not alter the sound of the LiveWires that much, actually it is more of a refinement of what the stock cable already does. The sound is smoother yet a wee bit more detailed. Frequency response wise there is a little increase in the deep bass. The higher midrange is toned down just a tad which to my ears is a welcome change, but otherwise it leaves the sound relatively unchanged. If you want a smoother, more refined sound this cable is definitely something you should try out. The small details a bit easier to define with the SK cable.
Perhaps some will consider this cable an inferior choice because the sound is a bit less aggressive, and thus not as suitable for some types of music like heavy metal or some other intense music genre. The subtle change to the sound characteristics of the earphones is in my mind enough to warrant the existence of this particular aftermarket cable.
Microphonic noise is a little worse than with the normal LiveWires cable, but the difference is so minute that you do not notice it under normal circumstances. Overall the tradeoff between durability and microphonic noise is a good one, the tech flex makes the cable less prone tangling and boosts the durability of it.
All in all I find the SK cable well worth the asking price of $130 and it gets a wholeheartedly recommendation from me.
Regards,
Frederik
