On the question of aftermarket headphone cables, I'm currently using these adapters from affinitycables eBay store so as to try out my pre-existing Utopia cables with the TC.
I've never gotten the sense in using these currently or in the past that the affinitycables adapters affect transparency in a noticeable way (though of course that's been hard to verify). They have, however, gone up in price, which make them harder to justify now IMO.
Anyway, I'm preferring the now-discontinued Wireworld Nano Platinum Eclipse cable (I hate that name) for the Utopia, connected via adapter to the TC, over the stock Abyss cable. The stock cable gives me a shade too much in the upper-mids part of the spectrum, which the WW cable rectifies. The WW cable also goes deeper into the bass. None of this is night-and-day, though. Both are equally dynamic. If I have the opportunity, I may try and source a dedicated WW cable expressly terminated for the Abyss.
The other Utopia cable I have, a custom build made of Neotech 23AWG solid core silver, is smoother sounding and also a touch warmer than the stock cable (subjectively at least), but also probably less dynamic, so is not as interesting with the TC based on my preferences.
Note, too, that while both of these cables are silver, IMO neither results in a brighter tonality compared to stock, which is in any case very "neutral" (non-warm) in color.
I've never gotten the sense in using these currently or in the past that the affinitycables adapters affect transparency in a noticeable way (though of course that's been hard to verify). They have, however, gone up in price, which make them harder to justify now IMO.
Anyway, I'm preferring the now-discontinued Wireworld Nano Platinum Eclipse cable (I hate that name) for the Utopia, connected via adapter to the TC, over the stock Abyss cable. The stock cable gives me a shade too much in the upper-mids part of the spectrum, which the WW cable rectifies. The WW cable also goes deeper into the bass. None of this is night-and-day, though. Both are equally dynamic. If I have the opportunity, I may try and source a dedicated WW cable expressly terminated for the Abyss.
The other Utopia cable I have, a custom build made of Neotech 23AWG solid core silver, is smoother sounding and also a touch warmer than the stock cable (subjectively at least), but also probably less dynamic, so is not as interesting with the TC based on my preferences.
Note, too, that while both of these cables are silver, IMO neither results in a brighter tonality compared to stock, which is in any case very "neutral" (non-warm) in color.
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