Toxic Cables - Impressions and Discussion Thread
Jun 3, 2016 at 4:39 PM Post #8,777 of 10,312
  @Kiats, @Igreen666, @fiascogarcia - Thank you for your advice.
 
 
At the moment, SW22 is beyond my budget because I just bought the BW22 for my Alpha Dog and used Audeze LCD-2F.
In fact, I just got the beautiful BW22 for my Alpha Dog today. (Frank made me special Alpha Dog connectors)
They are beautiful. You can judge it by yourself.
 

 
 
Sonically, with the BW22, my Alpha Dog has got supercharged with more impacts, energy with great bass. The midrange is also gorgeous. 
Overall, the sound is so exciting, enticing, explosive, alive and very fun to listen to. 
My Alpha Dog never sounds better than this.
 
That is why I am wondering whether the BW22 could do magic with LCD-2F. I really love the exciting, explosiveness and energetic presentation of the BW22.
I don't know the SW22 or SP would have the same explosiveness of the BW22.
From what I read, I think SW22 will do wonder for treble and clarity.
With limited budget, would SP be better than BW22 with LCD-2?
So, anyone has direct experience with Audeze LCD-2 and BW22 or comparison between BW22 and SP?
Your advice would be very welcome and appreciated. 
 
Frank, thank you for your excellent communications and making such a great cable sonically and aesthetically.
 
LT

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the cable Luck, really glas you are happy with them. I really like the new carbon fibre Alpha Dog connectors.
 
Jun 3, 2016 at 4:54 PM Post #8,778 of 10,312
  I almost forgot about it, however this weekend an envelope from the UK was delivered to my door...
 
Toxic Cables sticker on the back...   
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Gorgeous looking cable, very very nicely made. The Hifiman connectors got me scared for a second, as they can rotate while mounted firmly, I've not seen that with my other two cables. I've not had much listening time yet, however the first impressions are very positive.
 
Thanks for the nice work and good service Frank! There is something to be said to have custom build parts. The unexpected surprice is very well worth the wait!
 
Some pictures...
 

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures and your thoughts Arnout.
 
:) Don't let the connectors worry you, we have been using this same batch of HE connectors coming upto 2 years now, ordered directly from HiFiMAN, and have had 0 issues with them, other then  one reported fault from hundreds.
 
Jun 3, 2016 at 5:51 PM Post #8,780 of 10,312
The cable looks really nice. 
I am currently interested in Silver Poison.
Would you mind sharing me its sound?
Thanks,
LT


Sorry that the reply took a bit longer. Here it goes.

I had a copper cable on my HE-400i before because of the very short and stiff stock cable. Compared to the copper cable, it sound more lively without sounding harsh at the top end. It brings back some sparkle at the high frequencies which I like, The bass is better too. Detailed, tight and accurate. It's a very detailed and refined sound, also compared to the stock cable.

On the mechanical and ergonomically side: I like the connectors better, as you have some freedom of rotation to avoid twisting the cable when mounting the connectors. No contention issues here. The sleeved part is flexible however also more heavy than the other cables. The wires after the splitter are however long enough not to have the cable pulling on the headphones when you sit. Also no microphonics to be noticed. Superb. Highly recommended.
 
Jun 3, 2016 at 5:58 PM Post #8,781 of 10,312
I have this "issue" with one of the sides of my hifiman cables and the voice cuts out on that side sometimes. I emailed Frank back and forth and after about 20 days from the first time I pm'd him, he asked to send the cable in for warranty. The cable was received last week, but no information on it yet after multiple PMs. I can only imagine how I'd feel about buying his more expensive cables and one of them failing on me, with such slow responses from his end. It was May 2nd when had first PMed him, and it's been a month, with me being without the cable. Wondering how long it would still take going forward till I actually get the cable back. Very disappointing. 


Sorry to hear that. Despite the connectors can rotate on my cable when the nut is tightened fully, I have no connection issues so far. One side is a bit easier to rotate than the other, however no changes in connection quality to be observed. I hope for you that it gets resolved soon, I would not want to miss my cable anymore!
 
Jun 3, 2016 at 6:00 PM Post #8,782 of 10,312
Thanks for sharing the pictures and your thoughts Arnout.

:) Don't let the connectors worry you, we have been using this same batch of HE connectors coming upto 2 years now, ordered directly from HiFiMAN, and have had 0 issues with them, other then  one reported fault from hundreds.


Thanks for your reply Frank. That is a reassuring idea. The pictures do not justice to the real looks though :D.
 
Jun 3, 2016 at 6:03 PM Post #8,783 of 10,312
   
I have this "issue" with one of the sides of my hifiman cables and the voice cuts out on that side sometimes. I emailed Frank back and forth and after about 20 days from the first time I pm'd him, he asked to send the cable in for warranty. The cable was received last week, but no information on it yet after multiple PMs. I can only imagine how I'd feel about buying his more expensive cables and one of them failing on me, with such slow responses from his end. It was May 2nd when had first PMed him, and it's been a month, with me being without the cable. Wondering how long it would still take going forward till I actually get the cable back. Very disappointing. 

Max takes care of all repairs/re-terminations. He has taken the week off to spend time with his family during the school holidays. Once he is back on Tuesday, we will take a look at any cable that has been received.
 
I get hundreds of PM's and emails each week, in between making cables and family life, it can sometimes take me a few days. I have seen your PM's from the 30th and the following one's and i will reply to them shortly once i have replied to earlier PM's.
 
I am sorry you feel that way, from the 1000+ cables we have sold in the last year, we have only had a handful of faults occur, mostly not manufacturing defects, but we always have taken care of them. 
 
This cable was working fine with the previous owner, then not, so we will see what's wrong and see what needs doing.
 
Jun 3, 2016 at 6:37 PM Post #8,784 of 10,312
  Thank you fiascogarcia.
 
From Toxic's website, it looks like viper is only available for an LCD phone. The closest to it for general availability seems to be the Hybrid OCC.

Hi,
 
Sorry for the listing on the site, it's not yet been completed. The Viper and any of my other cables can be made for any headphones. I will try to update this listing this weekend, but if there is anything i can help with, please drop me a PM and i will get back to you as soon as i possibly can.
 
Jun 4, 2016 at 11:40 AM Post #8,785 of 10,312
Sorry that the reply took a bit longer. Here it goes.

I had a copper cable on my HE-400i before because of the very short and stiff stock cable. Compared to the copper cable, it sound more lively without sounding harsh at the top end. It brings back some sparkle at the high frequencies which I like, The bass is better too. Detailed, tight and accurate. It's a very detailed and refined sound, also compared to the stock cable.

On the mechanical and ergonomically side: I like the connectors better, as you have some freedom of rotation to avoid twisting the cable when mounting the connectors. No contention issues here. The sleeved part is flexible however also more heavy than the other cables. The wires after the splitter are however long enough not to have the cable pulling on the headphones when you sit. Also no microphonics to be noticed. Superb. Highly recommended.


AvdB,
Thank you for sharing. I am really interested in Silver Poison for my LCD-2F since SW22 is still beyond my budget at the moment.
I may opt for SP.
 
Jun 4, 2016 at 1:17 PM Post #8,786 of 10,312
  I have used the search function in this thread (honest), but that didn't help me, so here goes: 
 
I need to replace my HD600's stock cable with something better. On the basis that only a mad man (or audiophile) would spend more on the cable than the headphones themselves, my start point is the entry level, but it's not clear what are the sound signature differences between the similarly priced Scorpion and Hybrid OCC.
 
As a general preference, I don't need to manipulate the tonal values of what I already have, but if pushed I'd rather go for a crisper, more open sound, than add any artificial warmth to the HD600s..
Aiming for about 9 feet in length and prefer light and flexible rather than stiff and heavy.
 
Secondly, as I am a mad audiophile, would going to the next level of either Black Widow or Silver Poison give a substantial uplift in performance? That the HD600's are resolving enough to easily differentiate?
And if so how do those compare in sound signature to the first two? 


I was in the same situation as you and just ordered the BW 22 for my Sennheiser HD600 which is still a great headphone in my opinion.
I consider myself a value investor in many aspects of life, so I also try to put things in perspective. Though it's a good idea to keep the Cable vs Headphone price in mind, it shouldn't be rule. I know people who say with that amount of money you could by these or that headphones, dacs, amps... but in my case I am satisfied with my setup and just want to finetune a little bit. As I prefer natural, organic sound over excessive details I was quite sure to order a copper cable from Frank, so it was between the Viper and the BW.
In the end I chose the BW because the BW is treated so that it won't oxidize over time. This plus some minor differences in sq compared to the Scorpion, which should fit my taste better, are worth the additional price for me.
 
So good luck finding a good cable for your HD 600!
 
Jun 4, 2016 at 1:22 PM Post #8,787 of 10,312
  Even his lower priced cables are very well made and flexible.  I had great success with his Viper spc cable and the HD600, and I noticed a slight enhancement in clarity, but not any coloration or change in the tonal balance of the phones .  Sub bass is not the 600s strong suit, so I've always used a cable with copper to maximize bass response.  Lastly, the cable price vs. phone price is something that I also try to keep in relative balance. IMO.


very helpful information. I think either Frank's Silver or Copper cable would be a great match for the HD600. It all depends on the taste and the preferences :)
Do you still have your HD 600, did you try it with BW, because I have the same thoughts as you and will also go with copper.
 
Jun 4, 2016 at 1:59 PM Post #8,788 of 10,312
Still have it, it's just one of those iconic phones that I can't bring myself to sell, with it having sentimental value to me. It was my first venture into upper level phones.  Never tried the BW with it, I've always used an SPC.
 
Jun 4, 2016 at 10:48 PM Post #8,789 of 10,312
BW is a great copper cable. I have BW22 with my Alpha Dog and BW eariler french silk with HE-400. You will not be disappointed.
 
Jun 5, 2016 at 12:49 AM Post #8,790 of 10,312
I emailed Frank or Toxic cables but still no reply.
 
As I am buying a cable tommorow, I wanted to know which termination type to choose...
Can someone please include a picture of the termination type that toxic cables use. Or can we request a different one that is not included in the options?
 

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