[electro house]

What's the best replacement cables to use with Superfi.5Pro's to improve SQ? Is it the Westones?

On another thread I see that users have replaced Superfi.5 cables with the following: UE custom cable, Westone cables, Future Sonic cables, ES cables. There's probably more that might fit. The focus of that thread was more on finding cables that work well physically, in cold weather (compared to superfi cables' stiffness in cold weather). I didn't want to hijack that thread, so will focus on SQ here.

My question is: Can anyone offer comments on which cables gave them a nice combination of improved SQ as well as physical usability of the cable (ie not to stiff when cold, etc).

 

[lisztian420]

Hey,

It's good to see this new thread. I do hope some experienced UESF5Pro users can give us some input. I am currently waiting for some replies before I decide which cable to use. I read from somewhere that a lot of the cables on universal IEMs are dumbed down quite a bit to justify the sound and quality of custom products. Therefore replacing these universal cables with custom cable should make a difference. I hope someone can validate this fact and share with us their findings!

 

[stereophile]

I was wondering about this exact question.

Does anyone know -- is Westone the best replacement cables for Superfi5's, for SQ?

 

[cbk9811]

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ghlight=Surely


i think is what you are looking for

 

[leqin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbk9811 /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ghlight=Surely i think is what you are looking for

If you had looked really really close you would have noticed that electro house had already been there

 

[PixelSquish]

UE sent me what i take is the generation one cables for free when i just made a suggestion to change their cords for the 3rd generation.

definitely better than 1. and i still have the thicker one in case they fail.

ill be lookin into that mod though, i loved my UM1 cord a ton.

 

[electro house]

Quote:

Originally Posted by idiotekniQues /img/forum/go_quote.gif UE sent me what i take is the generation one cables for free when i just made a suggestion to change their cords for the 3rd generation. definitely better than 1. and i still have the thicker one in case they fail. ill be lookin into that mod though, i loved my UM1 cord a ton.

Thanks for info -- but, I didn't quite understand part of it.... "definitely better than 1"...

Are you saying their generation 1 cables are the best cables from UE available, in your opinion?

 

[lisztian420]

Hi,

Can anyone who actually have the experience of replacing their UESF5P cable with ES1, Futuresonic or UE custom cables give us some insight in terms of sound improvement. Basically I think a lot of us are wondering if the claim of universal stock cables being lower quality in order to justify the price of custom cable is valid. Com'on there must be like hundreds of UESF owners here and surely someone has tried this...

 

[music065]

My Superfi.5Pro cables are starting to irritate me also. They work fine in warm weather, but when it gets colder, the suck!

You can actually feel this strange characteristic happen all in one afternoon, on a warm day:

I live in SF. I'll put them on, on a warm afternoon perhaps around 4 pm, and walk around doing some errands outside. 4-6 pm, sun is warm, and they work fine.

As it cools down after 7 or so, you can actually feel the cables getting too stiff (like sticks!), and this rigidness makes the IEMs start to pop out of my ears, lose their seal, etc. Terrible. Please don't tell me to push them in my ears further or I'm not getting a good seal, etc. Thats not it. I've used a lot of IEMs and never had this problem. Its the darn cables.

Anyone know of good replacement cables that work well when it gets colder, AND improve SQ -- are the Westone's the answer?

 

[virusvoodoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by music065 /img/forum/go_quote.gif My Superfi.5Pro cables are starting to irritate me also. They work fine in warm weather, but when it gets colder, the suck! I live in SF. I'll put them on, on a warm afternoon perhaps around 4 pm, and walk around doing some errands outside. 4-6 pm, sun is warm, and they work fine. As it cools down after 7 or so, you can feel the cables getting too stiff (like sticks!), and this rigidness makes the IEMs start to pop out of my ears, lose their seal, etc. Terrible. Please don't tell me to push them in my ears further or I'm not getting a good seal, etc. Thats not it. I've used a lot of IEMs and never had this problem. Its the darn cables. Anyone know of good replacement cables that work well when it gets colder, AND improve SQ -- are the Westone's the answer?

Yeah the new cable is much bigger thus stiffer compared to the old one. If you do not mind thinness of the old cable, that might be better for you. However, you probably would have to take extra care of it since it tends to break faster.

I don't know if Ultimate Ears still sells them or not but if you post a WTB thread, someone here might have a fresh or good-condition one that they might sell to you.

 

[lisztian420]

I'm hoping to keep this thread alive as I am planning to replace my cable on my UESF5. Since I am currently living in Asia it's harder for me to get the cables and therefore I will really appreciate some comments about SQ improvement through custom cables. So is it just wishful thinking that cable upgrade will improve the sound of my IEMs?

 

[tk3]

I asked UE customer support if I could replace my triple fi cord with one from the custom series, and they told me that those didn't fit on the super fi series.
I also asked a local business who sells these cables, and they told me that they do fit.

Who's correct?

 

[dropnbass]

I'm looking to replace my Superfi5.Pro cables. Any recommendations on which other brands/models are best for SQ and comfort?

I also don't like my stock cables, due to the problems noted above, especially in cold weather.

Any advice? thank you!

 

[genesis]

Even I agree with you guys. The super.fi 5 pro cables are downright irritating. I am planning on changing the cables too but there is limited knowledge about this.

From what I have read the westone ES series cables seem to be the popular replacement since they are said to bring out more mids which if true would be great. I think sf5p lack slightly in the mids.

So anyone with experience in this regard please post your views.

 

[dropnbass]

It looks like no one has a lot of info on this at this time...hmm...I wonder where else we can check.

I wonder if Ultimate Ear, or Westone or any of the potential replacement cable companies would be worth calling about it. Does anyone know?

Or does anyone know a website or resource where we might be able to find more info on all this? Seems like a bunch of us want to know, but there's not much info on this topic...

thank you!