[levinhatz]

  paying about 500 bucks man for a cable is never ever ever in my book of things I will ever do. I heard the sound of a 600 USD cable and compared to stock and no difference to my ears
 
we did blind tests and never passed that a 600 USD cable is better than stock
 
sorry for 500 USD or more I would just buy a new headphone

 
To this- I feel the need to reply with a recommendation for the $525 K-works Clearheart cable. To me it makes as much of a difference (or more) than switching from LCD-2 to LCD-X. I'm like you and I don't typically hear differences in cables. But this one, to me, is obvious. I've blind tested several cables and this one is the only one I've consistently identified correctly 100% of the time.

 

[blackcatSVK]

Is there anyone using Q french silk cable for LCD-2?
How is your feedback?

 

[Steve Eddy]

Is there anyone using Q french silk cable for LCD-2?

How is your feedback?

I am (listening to Car Talk while waiting for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!), but that's all I can say.

se

 

[levinhatz]

  Is there anyone using Q french silk cable for LCD-2?
How is your feedback?

 
I've had it. It's a good cable. The sound is smooth and pretty but I ultimately went with something more energetic. 
 
I also like the way the Q cable looks/is built. Very classy.

 

[Synergist969]

To Whomever Might be Interested in Helping:
 
    I own pair of balanced headphones, connected to the 4 Pin XLR output of my headphone amplifier, and need to move my headphone amplifier further away from my listening chair, such that I will need:
 
1. A new/replacement, minimum 3 meter length, 4 pin XLR headphone cable to connect my LCD-2 headphones to my Ragnarok amp., 
                                                                                       OR
2. An audiophile grade, 2 meter minimum length, 4 pin male to 4 pin female XLR extension cable to insert between the amp and the current headphone cable,
                                                                                        OR
3. A pair of 4 pin to 3 pin "Y" XLR adapters, (one with a 4 pin male connector to dual 3 pin female connectors, to connect to the Ragnarok), and another one with dual 3 pin male connectors to a single female 4 pin connector, to connect to the LCD-2's headphone cable),     AS WELL AS a pair of audiophile grade standard 3 pin XLR cables to connect both "Y" adapters together to "complete the circuit" between said headphones and amplifier...    ...
 
  Should a great 4 pin XLR extension cable exist, I would like to try THAT solution first, so I do not have to pay for an entire, new dedicated, extra long headphone cable, if in fact high quality extensions exist... 
  
  Alternatively, who would manufacture the XLR 4 pin to 3 pin "Y" adapters I would need in order to utilize audiophile grade standard 3 pin XLR cables between them, and what manufacturer of audiophile grade 3 pin XLR cables would one recommend? 
  My brief attempt at research has yielded nothing particularly helpful thus far, so please do not hesitate to attempt to assist, you can only be helpful by suggesting things... 
 
Thank you in advance for your input/suggestions/direction! 
 
Sincerely,
T. A. Kogstrom

 

[buson160man]

  paying about 500 bucks man for a cable is never ever ever in my book of things I will ever do. I heard the sound of a 600 USD cable and compared to stock and no difference to my ears
 
we did blind tests and never passed that a 600 USD cable is better than stock
 
sorry for 500 USD or more I would just buy a new headphone

 If you heard the cable pro reverie you or anyone else that is not legally deaf could definitely hear the difference .And that difference is not subtle. I know it is a lot of money for a headphone cable but there was no way I was going back to the very ordinary sounding stock cable. I am much happier about my lcd2s now but it is a shame it took a cable that costs two thirds the price of the headphone to do it. I really feel that audeze should supply a better performing cable with their headphone . Really the lcd2 is a much higher performing headphone than I originally thought it was . I feel the only weakness of the lcd2 is the stock leash they supply with their headphone. With a suitable replacement the lcd2s performance ratchets up significantly.

 

[porridgecup]

To start off with, I know nothing of after market cables, especially balanced setups.
 
What would you recommend for a pre-Fazor LCD 2.2 that's ideally under $350? I'm in need of a balanced cable. Ideally I'd like to use the cable for future non-Audeze phones without having to buy a whole new cable (is it possible to swap out the connection type without buying a whole nwe cable?), but if not I understand.
 
Additionally, what terminator type would you recommend? I don't know or understand the differences between any of them.
 
Second, is there any other consideration I need for a fully balanced setup? If I have a balanced DAC and amp (haven't decided on which yet) and use stock cables for both of those, and a balanced cable from the amp to the LCD 2, is there anything I'm missing there?

 

[levinhatz]

  To start off with, I know nothing of after market cables, especially balanced setups.
 
What would you recommend for a pre-Fazor LCD 2.2 that's ideally under $350? I'm in need of a balanced cable. Ideally I'd like to use the cable for future non-Audeze phones without having to buy a whole new cable (is it possible to swap out the connection type without buying a whole nwe cable?), but if not I understand.
 
Additionally, what terminator type would you recommend? I don't know or understand the differences between any of them.
 
Second, is there any other consideration I need for a fully balanced setup? If I have a balanced DAC and amp (haven't decided on which yet) and use stock cables for both of those, and a balanced cable from the amp to the LCD 2, is there anything I'm missing there?

 
For under $350 I can recommend Q cable french silk. I had one but traded up for something more energetic. In retrospect I liked the smooth sound sig of the Q though. 
 
Another thing to consider is that you'd benefit from a quality balanced interconnect cable in between your DAC and amp. This does make a discernible difference.

 

[monkeysixtysix]

I recently purchased this cable from Venus Audio:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Furutech-Audeze-3m-Headphone-Cable-Cardas-Balanced-Gold-Furutech-1-4-/121612288197?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c50a840c5
 
I'm very pleased with the build quality, and I can definitely can hear an improvement in the soundstage width and imaging of my LCD-2's...

 

[LancerFIN]

210€ shipped for 2m copper cable from Forza Audio Works. They ship from Poland. Their normal cables are cheaper if you are not fan of sleeving.
 

 
That one loose part straightened out when I slightly pulled the cable. Nice craftsmanship and really cheap compared to competitors. Only ebay can match in price but they certainly lack in quality. Comes with 3 years of warranty.
 
http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/

 

[BassDigger]

I've been an 'alternative' type for a while now; ever since a friend introduced me to kit speakers, modified electronics and home-made cables. I'm also quite partial to a Chinese 'bargain' or two (I'll be ordering a Gustard H10 quite soon BTW). I'm now well aware that the established hifi industry is a business, first of all.
 
My speaker cable, constructed from category 5 (cat5) networking cable, has served me very well. It uses 3 runs per channel. As it's essentially the same stuff as telephone cable, (which once ran low quality audio over very long runs), but with twice the cores, it makes sense. There's a whole lot of info about it, but the idea originally came from TNTaudio. The individually teflon insulated conductors are supposed to be quite optimal for high fidelity audio use.
 
I have always wanted to experiment with a single run, for headphones. As I've now got the LCD2f (my most expensive ever single hifi purchase, because there isn't a diy alternative to good headphones), and they seem to be 'keepers', I thought that it's high time that I start my cable experiment:
 
A current ebay cable seller was good enough to knock a 1.5m cable together for me. I'll see how my experiment turns out; if there's some interest, maybe I can ask him if he wants to make some more.
 
Cat 5 is a solid core cable, so anybody who's bothered by microphonics or who wants any kind of free movement whilst using it, won't be choosing this. But to me, the lcd2 is definitely a 'sitting down at home' type phone. And I don't fidget so much (yet; the Parkinson's hasn't kicked in), so I can put up with it. I'm more concerned about the SQ.
 
I'll always remember that the speaker cable took a good 48 hours of high volume running (I was outside working on my car, and the neighbours were (already) deaf) before the sound filled out. It had replaced some budget Monster biwire and, after 48 hours, it was a huge step up.
 
I connected the cat 5 hp cable. To start with, it sounded quite tinny and a definite step down from the standard cable; although the bass impact and transients seemed a little better. But that may have just been an effect of the leaner overall sound.
Now, I've got about 30 hours on it, the sound has definitely started to fill out; there's reasonable bass and the treble is more natural. I haven't yet switched back to the original cable, for a fresh comparison (I'll do that after the cat 5 has had its 48 hours), but my memory tells me that, at the moment, the original cable would still have an edge; a more transparent sound.
 
I'll carry on 'burning' the cable in, and hopefully I'll be posting about a 'eureka' moment in the near future. Fingers crossed.

 

[BassDigger]

Part 2:
 
I guess the cat 5 cable must have 70+ hours now. I've done a couple of quick comparisons with the stock cable:
 
On both occasions I was listening to Michael Jackson's greatest hits collection cd3 (not my usual listening, but I occasionally enjoy some MJ).
 
On the first test I just briefly switched back to the stock cable, after listening to the whole 'cd'. My immediate impression was of the stock cable sounding slower, kind of laid back. This substantiated my initial impressions of the cat 5 cable; the stock cable definitely seemed smoother and 'unhurried'. I just listened to the intro of 'Bad'. I noticed that the treble seemed different. So I focused on a sort of synth high hat percussion noise, towards the left channel, that continues throughout.
When I switched back to the cat 5 (same music, same volume, same everything), the sound was immediately faster, with more impact and faster transients. The high hat seemed clearer with a clearly metallic sound, that I hadn't noticed with the stock cable.
Not a proper, serious test, but it seemed like a 'clear' (pun intended) win for the cat 5. I didn't want to switch back, again.
 
A few days later, with the same album, I carried out a more serious assessment. This time, with just carrying out comparisons rather than listening, I found it much harder to notice any difference!
I kept switching back and forth, repeatedly listening to the same sections of different tracks, and it took quite a while before I was sure of a difference between the cables.
 
Part of the reason may have been because I hadn't done any listening and the equipment was still coming up to temperature; I always switch everything off, 'stone cold', when not in use.
This time I didn't really get a sense of the transients; the speed sounded the same between cables. But, I definitely felt that the cat 5 cable was clearer; it had more treble energy. The rest of the freq. spectrum was the same; bass extension, power and impact, and the mids, all seemed identical, but the treble was 'hotter'.
I use the word 'hotter' on purpose; at that time, listening to that album, the sound was definitely a little too edgy, at times, through the cat 5. This is something that I'm very sensitive to, hence the purchase of lcd2. But, switching to other music, the balance seemed right, and I got the feeling that I was missing some details and clarity with the stock cable.
So, another win for the cat 5. But this time, just!
 
These comparisons have been with an amp that is surely underpowered, for the Audeze phones. I'll be getting a more representative amp soon, the Gustard H10, and then I'll post back and update, with hopefully some more seriously tested and conclusive impressions.
 
Still digging for the bass.

 

[Bellasperson]

I have 2 Q Cable French Silk. One for home, one for office. I have used them with LCD2s but I am currently listening to LCD3fs and Oppo PM2s. I have tried a half dozen other cables  but found the French Silk to be the overall best combination. I am slowly changing over to French Silk connector cables. The two words best describing the sound is clear and clean. They are also very well built.

 

[Audiogalore]

Try the new WireWorld nano Platinum Silver Eclipse7 The silver cable lets the details of the phone sound come through and tames the lows nicely. 

 

[Cardiiiii]

Anyone have any experience with the Van Damme Blue Studio wires for the LCD2?