[tolkencatholic]

Hey guys! I just recently sent my 5.5gen iPod to Vinnie for the iMod upgrade. I need some help in deciding which LOD cable to get. The two that I'm considering are:
 
1) iMod Cable V2 LUX-FEP 18awg OCC
2) iMod Cable ALO SXC Cyro
 
Just wanted to know which is the better cable in terms of sound quality. I know that Vinnie on the site states that the iMod requires the Black Gate caps, which is found in option 2. Just wanted anyone's opinion and their listening impressions of the cables. Have a week to decide which one to get. Fast responses would be greatly appreciated!
 
 
 
Here is a list of my current gear:
Source: iMod
Headphone Amp: ALO RX Prescription
Headphones: Ultrasone HFi-580, Grado SR-225i
 
 
 

  Thanks!!

 
 
 
......on a completely separate note: GO LAKERS!!!!!!

 

[PhoneLover94]

I would have to say that the Cryo would sound better. I don;t have a lot of experience in cables, but I do know that people prefer the silver coated copper wires over the straight copper wires. People say it gives a unique sound, with compliments from the copper and silver. With the plugs, I'm sure they both will be more than sufficient and won't have as much impact as the wires used. 
Hope this helped and best wishes

 

[tolkencatholic]

Thanks. Sounds like I can't really go wrong with either one. Just worried that the smaller V2 dock was designed more for convenience than SQ. Turns out they made it due to the fact that the Black Gate caps are out of production. Anyone have any listening impressions on either cable?

 

[revolink24]

I'm sorry, I know I'll get flamed for this, and it's becoming more and more futile, but I don't believe cables do anything at all, and even if they did could you honestly expect $200 in cable to improve your listening experience more than $200 in headphones? Your headphones are far from high-end and I don't understand paying as much for your LOD as for your cable. It just doesn't make price/performance sense. For example, you could sell the Grados, get a $20 LOD, and buy an SR325is (at least, hell, you'd be well on the way to RS2s) for the cost of that dock and get a very real sound change.
 
To each his own I suppose but this hobby sadly knows no bounds.
 
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[mrarroyo]

I have owned the ALO SXC Cryo line out cable and it is a very nice sounding unit. I should also mention that Ken has excellent customer service. However if you plan on using this on the go I would suggest you get a less expensive LOD and use some of the money to buy an IEM. An IEM will block most of the outside noise and allow you to not raise the volume as much and thus save your hearing. If you plan on using it stationary I would still get a less expensive LOD and use the extra money to buy a better headphone. Heck  you could sell one of the ones you have to have even more money for the headphone.

 

[warp08]

x2, you sure could use a better pair of cans/IEMs to be able to tell the difference a good quality interconnect provides.  I didn't own the #1 cable on the list, but did own the ALO LOD.  It is nice, but IMHO, can't hold a candle to the Whiplash Elite TWag LOD.  It's not only cheaper (not by much, though), but it is more flexible and less sensitive to RF-interference emitted by cellphones, which was a constant annoyance for me just by having my iPhone nearby.
 
In a high-end audio setup, EVERYTHING makes a difference and there are always bottlenecks in every system.  Knowing what the biggest one is, where you should apply your resources to make the biggest bang for the buck improvement, IMHO.

 

[tolkencatholic]

Thanks guys. I hear what your saying. However, I'm considering the  two options from ALO because I'm having a 5th generation iPod modded. With this mod, they're not able to fit the capacitors within the iPod. So the cable from ALO is important since the caps are located within the LOD itself. So I will be getting one the two LOD aforementioned, just wanted recent listening impressions of them.
 
Thanks for letting me know of the other options and also reminding me not to get too carried away with cables!  

 

[ccklone]

Hey Now,
 
I just recently got my 5th gen iPod iModded. I am using a previously burned in ALO iMod Dock and it sounds cleaner, tighter, more expansive than my 3rd gen iPod with a DIY LOD silver with ViaBlue mini. I compared them side by side through an RSA Tomahawk and ER4S (with APureSound re-cable). I am really digging the iMod/ALO iMod Dock/Tomahawk/ER4S combo. 
 
I usually have to be on a tractor for about 3-4 hours every weekend and it is my quiet time to listen to music

.  I completely isolate the tractor noise by using the IEMs and ear protection. It gets a little hot in the summer, but it sounds so good. And I won't be going deaf 

.
 
--
Finest kind,
Chris

 

[sdotfire]

I'm not sure what caps are in the V2 but Vinnie claims sonically they are better, I prefer BG caps but I haven't tried many other options aside from adding bypass caps and utilizing Elna or other Nichicon caps.  BG bypassed is my favorite but I have to experiment more to figure out the best solution.  The v2 utilizes film capacitors which are quicker but I doubt they have the sub-bass impact, I could be wrong but anything Teflon shielded I stay far far away from. 
 
But I have yet to hear the first option, so take what I say with a grain of salt.  I do however know that Teflon has a negative effect on bare copper.  Not immediately, not even a couple months as seen with copper turning a greenish hue; it's more like a year or so but it does happen.  So if you really are buying this prestine, overpriced IMO, LOD then you should probably get option two if you want this rig to last for years to come.  Teflon is used more out of convienence rather than enhancing sonic quality.  Seriously, it just looks better and is more flexible.  It's not an improvement over PE in anyway moreso a disadvantage that will be seen in the upcoming years.  No one has really said much about this but talk to someone, a chemical engineer, and they will know that Teflon is not as good as PE shielding.  BTW, I happen to be a Chem Eng

 so trust me.  I gurantee in about a year everyone will be bashing this new use of Teflonn directly on bare copper.  It would work well with SPC I think but not OCC Copper. 

 

[sdotfire]

OR......Get a TWag LOD, I mean I hate silver but Craig at WhipLash is the man!  Before I listened to it at CanJam I hated anything silver but he quickly changed my mind. 

 

[tcp56]

Or you could get the dock with the caps in it with a female mini input in it and use any cable you want terminated mini to mini.
Not quite as compact but it's not like I carry it in my pocket...

 

[tolkencatholic]

Thanks for all the input guys! I bought a used ALO SXC cable off a forum member.
Very happy now!

But I'm going to post sdotfire's comments on ALO thread for its new cable. wanna hear their response.

 

[sdotfire]

OK Guys, let me say this much....I talked to Ken over the phone the other day and he really is a great guy.  I even told him who I was here on head-fi and you would think that he would be upset but really he wasn't.  He told me that he strives to make the best cables to do what he loves, which is something I think he and all these distributors/manufacturers do.  That was one thing I took out of CanJam....everyone of these companies are run by stand up guys.  Maybe one isn't.....but I will get into that later LOL! 
 
Also, I bought the new iMod v2 cable for myself, that's why I said take this with a grain of salt because I have yet to hear it....so I decided to do it and not only did Ken sell me that but he gave me a little deal.  He gave me a deal after I did what I did?!  That's unbelievable.  I have to admit though I am truly brutally honest and will do a direct comparison to my TWag BG LOD and the new iMod V2 with no bias...I promise you that.
 
That being said, I have heard of Teflon having a negative effect on bare copper but it has been used for years as Ken proclaimed on his forum page.  That is true, and only time will tell.  To my own ears, I will be the judge, but again this whole audiophile thing is relative.  Completely subjective IMO  What may sound good to one person's ears may be the anti-christ for others. 
 
Apparently, the Teflon used is a new and better dielectric which should in theory produce a better cable.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I did buy this LOD and as of now TWag is my favorite, but I will know for sure soon enough.  But either way both Craig and Ken have SUPERB customer service and are again just great guys.  I never meant to bash him personally I was just repeating what was told me by some of my colleagues (I work at 3M in the IATD division with a bunch of smarter Chem Eng's than me) but I could be wrong.  That's why I sacked up and bought one in order to find out if this is the holy grail of wires...as of now I love TWag but I am not biased and will provide an in-depth review of the two in a variety of sources. 
 
But I truly was amazed at how genuinely nice Ken was to someone who had just thrown a kink in his upcoming product line, that shows me a lot about his integrity and character.
 
Craig is also one of my favorite people to deal with, I need to make it clear that these guys don't battle with each other.  At CanJam they were sharing thoughts and ideas, it was just an overall collaboration to make us, the consumer, get our hands on the ultimate products which produce musical bliss.  For now, my TWag is among the best.....but Ken makes great products too.  I hope that everyone understands this, the audiophile community is not about bashing or burning bridges but rather coming together and helping everyone out!