[Pete7]

Each type of connector has their pros and cons. With 2pins you have to keep track of polarity and be careful not to bend the pins, while with mmcx it's easier to get moisture/sweat which can cause corrosion. But the latter one has also to do with a quality of the connectors. For example, both Westone and ALO/Campfire has been upgrading the connector material, while some of the cheap budget connectors (chi-fi market cables) fail sooner. Another problem I've been running into with 2pins, the standard has a bit of a tolerance room where it's not 100% universal when it comes to the actual diameter of pins and female sockets. I have a lot of brand name cables and IEMs, and still run into a problem with 2pin connectors of one cable needing to be forced into 2pin socket of another IEM. It loosens up after awhile, but clearly there is some tolerance issue. Also with mmcx connectors, I personally hate using them with hard memory wire and always remove it (like in Ref8 cable).

Please delete post.

 

[twister6]

Please delete post.

You want me to delete my post? Or did you change mind about your reply? I hope the latter one since I like my post

 

[Pete7]

I'm going to venture a guess that you are forcing a .78 mm IEM pin into a .75 mm socket. There are 2 different size 2-pin sockets: .75 and .78 mm, which is the more common.

You want me to delete my post? Or did you change mind about your reply? I hope the latter one since I like my post

My reply was moot as I'm sure you were aware of the differences. I read your post in my email and didn't realize it was a post from the twister6 himself and not someone a little less experienced, lol. My bad.

 

[twister6]

My reply was moot as I'm sure you were aware of the differences. I read your post in my email and didn't realize it was a post from the twister6 himself and not someone a little less experienced, lol. My bad.

No worries, mate. Unfortunately, I did notice lately some discrepancies in 0.78mm pin/socket combos, even from well known names.

And yeah, doesn't help that some manufacturers, like qdc, still use 0.75mm pins/sockets, and I keep getting questions from my readers why they can't connect their cables or it goes only half way in (without them realizing they just loosened up their 0.75mm socket with 0.78mm pins jammed in it). But anyway, I guess we went a little off topic

Btw, another advantage of using these short adapters is that you are protecting the shell socket while cable rolling since you don't need to go through extra plug/unplug cycles.

 

[Spie1904]

After spending time with RHA CL2, I appreciate the laid back sound my Westone es30 offer. I've complained that it wasn't doing it in terms of details and layering for me but I now I appreciate the smooth lush sound when I just want to enjoy music for a couple of hours without fatigue. And I have to say , the comfort is just all round insanely good with the material that kind of sets within the canal

 

[davidcotton]

After spending time with RHA CL2, I appreciate the laid back sound my Westone es30 offer. I've complained that it wasn't doing it in terms of details and layering for me but I now I appreciate the smooth lush sound when I just want to enjoy music for a couple of hours without fatigue. And I have to say , the comfort is just all round insanely good with the material that kind of sets within the canal

Sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side

 

[Spie1904]

Sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side

I admit I may have assumed that but I think I have very complimentary ones now. The CL2 is beautiful but can be intense. The Westone is a comfort machine without fatigue

 

[twister6]

I admit I may have assumed that but I think I have very complimentary ones now. The CL2 is beautiful but can be intense. The Westone is a comfort machine without fatigue

I can relate to this experience. While I do have access to a lot of IEMs, unfortunately I don't have too much free time after work to just sit down and enjoy the music after kids go to sleep. When I get a free time, it's spend reviewing. Just recently I got more into streaming, been enjoying Qobuz, searching and tagging my favorite tracks to build up the playlist. The other night I actually spent almost 3 hours listening to music, and in the first hour went through half a dozen of IEMs, one after the other, with fancy shells and cables, until my ears started to feel fatigue. And not only from more analytical sound, but from the actual weight of the shells and thicker cables, weighing down, causing quite a discomfort. I had to pull everything out of my ears, and it was quite a sigh of relief when I switched to W80. I didn't even mind Ref8 cable since I wasn't moving around, so microphonics didn't bother me, otherwise I would have switched to Linum superbax. Besides a more laid back relaxed sound, the comfort was a HUGE plus during extended listening.

 

[megabigeye]

Anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive 2.5mm balanced cable? Like, less than $50, preferably closer to $25 (even less is even better!)? I'm not a huge believer in cables, but I obviously don't want a piece of junk that's going to mess up the sound. I'm more worried about longevity and usability. I love how pliable the stock cable is.

How is everyone? This thread is so quiet!

 

[twister6]

Anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive 2.5mm balanced cable? Like, less than $50, preferably closer to $25 (even less is even better!)? I'm not a huge believer in cables, but I obviously don't want a piece of junk that's going to mess up the sound. I'm more worried about longevity and usability. I love how pliable the stock cable is.

How is everyone? This thread is so quiet!

Tbh, the cheaper you go, the less quality you get, both when it comes to wires and the hardware (connectors and plugs). The one super-budget cable I have been using for over a year now and it still works OK is this $16 SPC cable from Penon which you can get in 2pin or mmcx with either 2.5mm balanced or 3.5mm single ended. I'm actually have it with 4.4mm bal termination ($1.60 option). I know the price is dirt cheap, but the cable lasted so far, making a good replacement cable option.

 

[megabigeye]

Tbh, the cheaper you go, the less quality you get, both when it comes to wires and the hardware (connectors and plugs). The one super-budget cable I have been using for over a year now and it still works OK is this $16 SPC cable from Penon which you can get in 2pin or mmcx with either 2.5mm balanced or 3.5mm single ended. I'm actually have it with 4.4mm bal termination ($1.60 option). I know the price is dirt cheap, but the cable lasted so far, making a good replacement cable option.

Awesome! Thanks! Do you know about how long it takes to order to the (east coast of the) US?

 

[Spie1904]

Anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive 2.5mm balanced cable? Like, less than $50, preferably closer to $25 (even less is even better!)? I'm not a huge believer in cables, but I obviously don't want a piece of junk that's going to mess up the sound. I'm more worried about longevity and usability. I love how pliable the stock cable is.

How is everyone? This thread is so quiet!

It's ironic how quiet this thread is.
I've said this before and I'll repeat it.
I don't know if it's just not a lot of UM Pro Users around here or whether we're all just happy listening to our IEM's and don't visit often :-D

Edit: I'm using a Westone ES 30 Custom in ear.

 

[Tiax]

Anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive 2.5mm balanced cable? Like, less than $50, preferably closer to $25 (even less is even better!)? I'm not a huge believer in cables, but I obviously don't want a piece of junk that's going to mess up the sound. I'm more worried about longevity and usability. I love how pliable the stock cable is.

How is everyone? This thread is so quiet!

Ask in this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low-end-cheap-generic-otherwise-bang-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/
Or pick it yourself from this list:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/resistance-of-cables-pics-comments-and-links.907998/

 

[assassin10000]

Anybody have a recommendation for an inexpensive 2.5mm balanced cable? Like, less than $50, preferably closer to $25 (even less is even better!)? I'm not a huge believer in cables, but I obviously don't want a piece of junk that's going to mess up the sound. I'm more worried about longevity and usability. I love how pliable the stock cable is.

How is everyone? This thread is so quiet!

Ask in this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low-end-cheap-generic-otherwise-bang-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/
Or pick it yourself from this list:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/resistance-of-cables-pics-comments-and-links.907998/

1st link is a great resource for cheap cables. Look for the user @hakuzen who has a link in his signature to a massive list of cables he has bought and tested.

Edit, link: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/resistance-of-cables-pics-comments-and-links.907998/

There are a fair amount of choices well within your budget. I like the look of the ISN 16core cables (just inside budget) as well as the 8 core nicehck (well within budget).

 

[twister6]

Awesome! Thanks! Do you know about how long it takes to order to the (east coast of the) US?

With upcoming holiday season, I'm sure shipping takes longer. But I usually get it here on East Coast within 7-10 days from Penon.