[KevM2]

Equinoxes arrived today.

Let me just start this off by saying...

WOW...

WOW...

WOW...

Whoever said cable upgrades are insignificant or don't improve sound at all obviously haven't heard these cables. These have turned the 600s into the headphones I expected them to be. I felt that a layer of sound was missing and that vocals were repressed. Sort of like you were listening to live music behind a thin wall... But now, you're in the room, listening live. The vocals are a good deal more forward, the headphone is filled with much more music, and overall, the sound just takes a giant leap in quality.

I've only been listening for 20 minutes and they're already amazing. Supposedly they get better after I break them in.

The 'soul' is finally put back in the music. Whoa... If you're using stock cable, you're seriously missing out. At $300, they seem expensive, but in terms of sound quality improvement, they're a bargain. I would say that these made as significant an improvement to the sound as getting the amp. Music is MUCH more engaging now.

 

[AgainstTheGrain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Equinoxes arrived today. Let me just start this off by saying... WOW... WOW... WOW... Whoever said cable upgrades are insignificant or don't improve sound at all obviously haven't heard these cables. These have turned the 600s into the headphones I expected them to be. I felt that a layer of sound was missing and that vocals were repressed. Sort of like you were listening to live music behind a thin wall... But now, you're in the room, listening live. The vocals are a good deal more forward, the headphone is filled with much more music, and overall, the sound just takes a giant leap in quality. I've only been listening for 20 minutes and they're already amazing. Supposedly they get better after I break them in. The 'soul' is finally put back in the music. Whoa... If you're using stock cable, you're seriously missing out. At $300, they seem expensive, but in terms of sound quality improvement, they're a bargain. I would say that these made as significant an improvement to the sound as getting the amp. Music is MUCH more engaging now.

the stock cables on the HD600 are horrid. i got a big jump in quality just by going to the HD650 cables. not to take away from your purchase. enjoy my man.

 

[KevM2]

I did the 650 cable upgrade as well. It gave the music more bass and more impact, but it seemed to lose some of the details as well. On the other hand, with the Equinoxes, I heard a good deal of improvement all around with no trade offs. It finally moved the voices forward, which was my main complaint.

The equinox cables spank the 650 cables as well, which is expected at their price. I mean the sound is just amazing. I seriously recommend you looking into it. The sound just really steps up.

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevM2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Equinoxes arrived today. Let me just start this off by saying... WOW... WOW... WOW... Whoever said cable upgrades are insignificant or don't improve sound at all obviously haven't heard these cables. These have turned the 600s into the headphones I expected them to be. I felt that a layer of sound was missing and that vocals were repressed. Sort of like you were listening to live music behind a thin wall... But now, you're in the room, listening live. The vocals are a good deal more forward, the headphone is filled with much more music, and overall, the sound just takes a giant leap in quality. I've only been listening for 20 minutes and they're already amazing. Supposedly they get better after I break them in. The 'soul' is finally put back in the music. Whoa... If you're using stock cable, you're seriously missing out. At $300, they seem expensive, but in terms of sound quality improvement, they're a bargain. I would say that these made as significant an improvement to the sound as getting the amp. Music is MUCH more engaging now.

If I hadn't read your first line, I'd have thought that you're describing the sound of your HD600 out of a headamp

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I think I have a fair HD600 cable review here: REVIEW: APureSound V3 Silver Cable with Copper Core for Sennheiser vs stock HD600 & HD650 cables - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Separately I have tried the Jenna Labs cryo 18g from ALO and found it to be much better than stock 600/650 cables too, but didn't compare to APS cable although I have no doubt it would be as good.

I did compare a $550 single ended piccolino cable from StevenKelby and the HD600 with that cable sound quality was right between the APS v3 single ended cable and the APS V3 balanced cable (same amp but run single ended or balanced). There was an extra degree of transparency and micro-detail with the Piccolino that brings the single ended sound closer to sounding balanced (but not there completely).

 

[donunus]

Listening to my hd600s/equinox using my mhdt havana dac and the thinness in the upper bass that I complained about before isnt there anymore. hmm, this is now sounding very good. the stax 202 I got is trounced once again.

 

[pabbi1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif pabbi1, have you tried the hd600 without the foam?

No, but it was after careful consideration once I defoamed the hd650. My hd600 are just as I need them to be, and only modded the 650 since they weren't.

That is both with the APS V3 or the Enigma Oracle, both balanced since that is where I live.

 

[KevM2]

I've just done a few more hours of listening with the Equinox cables in. I still can't believe how much they've changed the sound. Going from 600 to 650 cables and getting a somewhat minor shift in sound, I wasn't really coming in expecting too much. I just purchased these to satisfy my curiosity so that I wouldn't constantly think about if I'm missing out on something. I heard that they improved the sound a good deal, but I've been reading how cable changes can only change the sound to a minor degree, so I kept my expectations low. Boy, was I surprsied.

Obviously, the degree of change which people will ascribe to something is relative to one's own personal preferences, but for me, it has been a major shift. I'm not particularly good at describing things in the audio jargon, so bear with me as I attempt to explain how the sound has changed for the better.

What words would I use to describe these cables? Visceral. Soulful. Musical. I've talked about it here that the concern that I've had with the HD600s is that the sound feels like it was being passed through some politeness filter, which removed a layer of sound. I really enjoyed the overall sound of the headphones, but I felt at times that something was missing. Well, good news. That missing sound has been found after plugging in the Equinox cables!

The overall sound is so much fuller and cleaner, which is amazing. The sound is 'thicker' but it's not heavy and dreary. There is more sound with the Equinox, and the headphones no longer sound like they are 'closed in'. There is more room for the sound to bounce around in. The biggest level of improvement is that it eliminates that politeness filter. Instead of sounding like I was listening to a concert from behind a thin wall, it's like I'm actually there now. There is much more impact with the music now. The vocals don't sound repressed anymore. They used to sound somewhat ethereal and ghostly... Dreamlike, meaning you hear them, but they sound somewhat distant and you could never really 'grasp onto' them. With the addition of the Equinox, the vocals don't 'dominate' the music, but they've been pushed forward a good deal and are much more balanced with the overall sound. Music has much more soul now, since you can actually ride and groove along to the voice.

Overall, the clarity, detail and impact have taken the sound to another level. I am now 'satisfied' with the HD600s, meaning that they sound like what I expected them to sound out and that I have no feeling to rush out and try another set of headphones due to feeling like something is missing. I'll definitely keep on improving my rig, but the addition of these cables have made the headphones sound 'right' to me. The music is now much more engaging and movies are much more immersive since the sound hits harder. The only downside to these cables is that it makes the HD600s much harder to fall asleep to, lol.

If you are satisfied with the polite presentation of the HD600 cables, then you should probably stay where you are. However, if you want more bite... more body and soul to the sound... more visceral impact, then the Equinox is your choice!

P.S. I don't want to hype anyone up and I recommend that you hold your expectations in check before trying these cables... But for me, the change in sound has been superb! Well worth the $300.

 

[analogbox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The woodies are "in the way" of the backwave.

Actually I was talking about the woodies on the grados in the earlier posting.

 

[kansei]

I just bought HD600s this week. At first I did not like them as the whiz-bang factor just wasn't there. I decided to stop trying my favorite tracks out and tried a movie. Wow! The level of clarity and detail these phones can wring out is just amazing. The other thing they do really well is make it sound effortless.

It also occurs to me that the HD600s must be revealing the faults in my MP3 tracks. I tried several CDs and FLAC recordings and the sound is unbelievable. I still have to set up a better test where I play the CD, FLAC and 192kbps MP3 back to back to see how different they sound.

I'm using them with my iBasso D2 Boa amp/dac. Works well enough, although I'm considering upgrading to something better. I still don't know what that is, as full size amps won't really work in my environment. I was thinking about the Ray Samuels Predator.

 

[KevM2]

The HD600s scale really well. They can sound disappointing until you start putting some equipment behind it... and you'll be like, "What in the world? How do these headphones sound like this?" over and over again.

You may want to look at the EF-1 amp... It's not too big, although not a portable. If you want a good deal more punch and detail, get the Equinox cable. These cables gave me the impact I was looking for. They add that immersion factor that is obscured by the softness present with the 600 stock cables.

 

[oogabooga]

@kansei - my HD600s sound like poop with 192kbps MP3 - I hear "squeals". At 256VBR it's better, 320 CBR is good, and FLAC/ALAC is awesoma!

 

[kansei]

Thanks for the suggestions Oogabooga and KevM2, I suspected as much with regard to low-q MP3s and amplification.

 

[KevM2]

Yeah man, the HD600s are an adventure. You can't just buy these headphones and say, hey, the journey is over. Get a decent amp behind them and they'll become new headphones. Get a decent DAC, and there goes another leap in quality. Get a good aftermarket cable, and there they go improving again. Just take your time and build your system up slowly, but you haven't really 'heard' the HD600s, and with my set-up, I doubt I have either.

In regards to the MP3 issue, you definitely need to get the highest quality sound available. Lower quality will sound hazy and be missing a lot of detail. The more quality you put behind these headphones, the better they will sound.

 

[donunus]

There is only one thing the hd600 lacks compared to cans like at ad2000s for example... raw energy snap, speed and sense of power. if it had those traits in spades, it would be hard to beat with anything in the headphone or speaker world regardless of price. Ive heard ultra expensive systems (200k dollars plus) that cannot touch the organic sound of the hd600s