[Toxic Cables]

Quote:

So now that I've had the cable for about a week i figured that it was high time i write out some impressions and passed it on to the next individual on the list.
 
Ive been using the Silver Poison exclusively for the last week to give myself the best chance possible to acclimate myself to its sound. I'm not convinced that switching back and forth as quickly as possible is the best way to hear differences in cables, or any higher end equipment for that matter. Not to mention that swapping cables on IEMs isn't the fastest procedure in existence. So tonight after spending several hours listening for the last time, I switched back to the stock cable from JH Audio. And I will say that i think that i heard an ever so slight difference, the JH cable i think sounds just a tad more open, but the Silver Poison sounds just a tad bit fuller. And when I say tad bit, i mean like I'm not entirely sure i could pass a DBT to prove that, it's just the gut impression I got when i switched. And that was exactly what I was looking for my using it exclusively for as long as i did.
 
Now that i have the sound portion out of the way, we can move onto the more important part of the impressions. The cable just feels much more like something that would belong on a set of 1100 dollar IEMs. The cable is much thicker than the stock one, but its not unmanageable in any way shape or form. It's very flexible. Some things I noticed at first about the cable. It doesn't have a splitter, only a nice wooden choker. I found this strange at first, since all of the other cables I have ever used with my JH-13s have had splitters. But after a while i cane to appreciate not having a big wooden or plastic splitter in the way or weighing the cable down. The clear shrink wrap that is used instead is tastefully done and doesn't stand out further than it should. The other thing i really like is that it doesn't have any sort of memory wire or anything where the cable enters the ear piece. I thought that it allowed the cable to lay over my ear much more naturally and comfortably that way that using the memory wire and clear tubing of the stock cable. One other thing i loved was the viablue connector, I have a soft spot for their 1/8th in connectors, i love the quality feel of them and the build quality.
 
So now i guess you would be wondering if i would buy one, since that is arguably the most important thing at the end of the day. And do that I would say no, while i loved the benefits of the build quality and ergonomics, I don't find them to be commensurate with the increase in cost of the cord. Maybe if it were to cost half as much, or something under 150 dollars I would be more willing to purchase it, but at the current exchange rate it would be something like 270 dollars to order one. That's not to say that it isn't a wonderful cable, and I think that others would certainly feel that it was worth the cost.
 
I also want to say thank you to Project86 for allowing me to have the chance to demo the Toxic Cables Silver Poison cable, it was a pleasure.
 
So who's next on the list?

Thanks for the impressions.
 
Regarding the price, as John says, i do have cheaper options available that would be less then your 150 budget, the final costs that go in to building the SP is more then that, then you have the time it takes to build the cable also.
 
If someone is looking for a cheaper stranded silver cable, i do have a similar version to the SP available, the "Anthrax", it's built exactly the same as the SP but minus the 1% Gold, i currently have promotional pricing on this cable for £120.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Project86, its not so much that i wanted to spend more time talking about its physical attributes, its just that im not one to wax poetic using lots of popular audiophile words to describe its sound. even if i had heard a huge difference i probably wouldnt have spent all that much more time talking about it. The physical attributes just had more to be talked about was all.
Quote:

Thanks for the impressions.
 
Regarding the price, as John says, i do have cheaper options available that would be less then your 150 budget, the final costs that go in to building the SP is more then that, then you have the time it takes to build the cable also.
 
If someone is looking for a cheaper stranded silver cable, i do have a similar version to the SP available, the "Anthrax", it's built exactly the same as the SP but minus the 1% Gold, i currently have promotional pricing on this cable for £120.

 
 
Oh for sure, im not trying to say that your cable or your time arent worth anything man, im just saying that for me its not worth the cost of entry for the Silver Poison. Thanks again for the opportunity
 
And once we figure out who is next, if they could pm me their address so i can get it out to them.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Project86, its not so much that i wanted to spend more time talking about its physical attributes, its just that im not one to wax poetic using lots of popular audiophile words to describe its sound. even if i had heard a huge difference i probably wouldnt have spent all that much more time talking about it. The physical attributes just had more to be talked about was all.
 
 
And once we figure out who is next, if they could pm me their address so i can get it out to them.

 
Of course - understood. It's great to have a wide variety of people involved here, so we can get different perspectives. Hopefully at least one person at some point does some poetic waxing, just to balance things out! 

 

[Toxic Cables]

Quote:

Oh for sure, im not trying to say that your cable or your time arent worth anything man, im just saying that for me its not worth the cost of entry for the Silver Poison. Thanks again for the opportunity

I know that's not what you meant, everyone has a limit on what they want to spend on something and i know the Poison might seem a little expensive for some, which is why i have other options, starting from as little as £80/$125 for an OCC copper OM cable.
 
The GBP is also very strong currently, only a weeks ago the SP was $240, while today it's $249.

 

[project86]

So it seems like nobody else has chimed in, so mosshorn gets it next. Soup, can you get with mosshorn for shipping info? Thanks.

 

[batphink]

Hi, I have the SPV Viper right now.  I'm using it with 2 IEMs which is why I'm taking so long.  I will post my review with pics next week.

 

[project86]

Thanks batphink! Take your time, and when finished PM me for address info because that cable is coming home.

 

[mosshorn]

Just an update, the SP was supposed to be here Friday. It's now Saturday and mail has already come today :banghead:

Gotta ?! #@ing love USPS :rolleyes:

Sent from my ICS Thunderbolt using Tapatalk 2

 

[mosshorn]

So I got something in the mail today
 
 

 
 
I'm only gonna have it for a few days (shipping off my SM3's to save up for Tzars!) so I'll try to get as much headtime with it as possible I'll post impressions, inital and the end of my trial, in the post below me.
 
Also,
 
 

 
I was like "STRAP ALL THE AMPS!"
 
....too bad I have a solo DAP now :c

 

[mosshorn]

Thank you Project86 for this opportunity, idk when I'd have a chance to otherwise 

 and thanks to Frank from Toxic Cables for supplying extra amp straps. I'm thinking about getting another rig just to use them
 
Initial Impressions:
 
I wish the cables I made were jaw-droppingly pretty like this one. You really can't put into words how beautiful this cable is until you're walking around and realize you keep looking down to check it out XD It has a great feel to it, and Frank's braiding is spot on. I'm a big fan of Viablue minis, and it compliments this cable very well. The overmolded connectors make me break out the toast, because I'm insanely jelly I can't make those. There are zero microphonics, but I'm sure most people would assume that. 
 
Overall in the physical department, I don't think you can get anything for your money that makes you feel you are owning some high end stuff like this cable. Even though the IEM's I own are top tier universals, and my DAP is near top tier, I finally feel like I'm holding some top tier rig I used to drool at in the Portable Rig thread when I started here. Now I know that at the end of the day, it is about the music. But ESPECIALLY in portable audio (IMO), aesthetics are close. While I'm not gonna rock some lesser pair of headphones/IEMs just to look cool, I enjoy my rig having that hi-fi look. Why? Because I guess I'm shallow like that 

 
So now that I got my ogling done (I still keep looking down at this cable thinking "holy crap this is cool"), on to how it sounds. Mind you, these are still initial impressions and subject to change. Testing is being done on my Hisoundaudio Studio V 3rd Anniversary, and also using it as an amp from my internal soundcard on the computer (DAC should be in tomorrow). From what I've A/B'd to my stock cable, I'm noticing a little more detail in the vocals (especially high vocals), things like electronic xylophones seem to ring just a smidge more, and the bass, while reduced slightly, seems to be tighter. It also makes vocals on the SM3's not as upfront. In some ways this is OK with me,  but I could see this being an issue with some V shaped IEMs, or even a bright IEM paired with a bright source like my Studio V. I would say so far, I'm feeling a detail improvement of ~10-15%.
 
 
Now the question is, is this cable worth the asking price for me (after my ~8 hours of it)? Well, that really depends on what you're looking for. People looking to make their basshead IEM into an analytical IEM, or to dramatically improve their IEM are going to be sorely let down. My stance on the cable debate has always been "let it be a tweak". You have to enjoy the sound of your rig before you even THINK of cable choice, especially hi-end ones like this. I do like the way this tweaks the SM3's though from my limited listening, so any SM3 v2 readers, give this a shot if you have the money to spare. Practically, it's a great feeling cable, and very obviously made to compete or exceed most of the hi-end cable options right now. Aesthetically, I would put this cable on my KSC75's if I could. I would wire everything in my house if I could. It's THAT sexy. If you like to show off how much insane amounts of money you spend in this hobby, I can't recommend this enough for looks. Frank, you should go into jewelry too! 

 
 So to me, this cable is worth the money. Can I afford it as a college student? Nooooot quite yet ^_^ Although I might start saving just because of my initial impressions.

 

[Toxic Cables]

Good thing about all the bands, no bubble wrap required. 

 

[project86]

Mosshorn - any updates? I think you have a new DAC by now, so hopefully you've had some time to spend listening.

 

[Toxic Cables]

Quote:

Thank you Project86 for this opportunity, idk when I'd have a chance to otherwise 

 and thanks to Frank from Toxic Cables for supplying extra amp straps. I'm thinking about getting another rig just to use them
 
Initial Impressions:
 
I wish the cables I made were jaw-droppingly pretty like this one. You really can't put into words how beautiful this cable is until you're walking around and realize you keep looking down to check it out XD It has a great feel to it, and Frank's braiding is spot on. I'm a big fan of Viablue minis, and it compliments this cable very well. The overmolded connectors make me break out the toast, because I'm insanely jelly I can't make those. There are zero microphonics, but I'm sure most people would assume that. 
 
Overall in the physical department, I don't think you can get anything for your money that makes you feel you are owning some high end stuff like this cable. Even though the IEM's I own are top tier universals, and my DAP is near top tier, I finally feel like I'm holding some top tier rig I used to drool at in the Portable Rig thread when I started here. Now I know that at the end of the day, it is about the music. But ESPECIALLY in portable audio (IMO), aesthetics are close. While I'm not gonna rock some lesser pair of headphones/IEMs just to look cool, I enjoy my rig having that hi-fi look. Why? Because I guess I'm shallow like that 

 
So now that I got my ogling done (I still keep looking down at this cable thinking "holy crap this is cool"), on to how it sounds. Mind you, these are still initial impressions and subject to change. Testing is being done on my Hisoundaudio Studio V 3rd Anniversary, and also using it as an amp from my internal soundcard on the computer (DAC should be in tomorrow). From what I've A/B'd to my stock cable, I'm noticing a little more detail in the vocals (especially high vocals), things like electronic xylophones seem to ring just a smidge more, and the bass, while reduced slightly, seems to be tighter. It also makes vocals on the SM3's not as upfront. In some ways this is OK with me,  but I could see this being an issue with some V shaped IEMs, or even a bright IEM paired with a bright source like my Studio V. I would say so far, I'm feeling a detail improvement of ~10-15%.
 
 
Now the question is, is this cable worth the asking price for me (after my ~8 hours of it)? Well, that really depends on what you're looking for. People looking to make their basshead IEM into an analytical IEM, or to dramatically improve their IEM are going to be sorely let down. My stance on the cable debate has always been "let it be a tweak". You have to enjoy the sound of your rig before you even THINK of cable choice, especially hi-end ones like this. I do like the way this tweaks the SM3's though from my limited listening, so any SM3 v2 readers, give this a shot if you have the money to spare. Practically, it's a great feeling cable, and very obviously made to compete or exceed most of the hi-end cable options right now. Aesthetically, I would put this cable on my KSC75's if I could. I would wire everything in my house if I could. It's THAT sexy. If you like to show off how much insane amounts of money you spend in this hobby, I can't recommend this enough for looks. Frank, you should go into jewelry too! 

 
 So to me, this cable is worth the money. Can I afford it as a college student? Nooooot quite yet ^_^ Although I might start saving just because of my initial impressions.

Great write up, thanks for sharing.

 

[HideousPride]

I recently picked up a cable on the forums, the Beat Audio Silver Sonic MKII, due to the stock cable of the 4.Ai failing on me (probably my fault, I took it out for some real wear and tear).
 
I didn't really have an opinion on cables and if they make an audible difference on the sound before, but I've very much been enjoying the new cable and think it was a very worthwhile purchase (although it must be said it was offered to me at a very significant discount from the new cable price).
 
My custom IEMs should be shipping to me sometime this week, and I just pulled the trigger on a pair of D600s for about half of MSRP, should be a very enjoyable holiday season in regards to headphone items to play with.

 
Looking forward to getting the Toxic in and doing a comparison vs stock/Beat Audio cables!

 

[HideousPride]

Just wondering on the status of the cable - have they been passed on to the next participant yet?