why do so many high end iems come with the heaviest and bulkiest cables?

[balzucker812]

is there any reason? ive tried many iems at a store, the cheap iems almost always have more ergonomic cables, for example, letshuoer s12 2024 editions has a really thick cable with a massive plug. i know its for the removable termination though. but why do so many expensive iems have the biggest cables? i honestly prefer my kiwi ears cadenza included cable over some of the cables ive seen on high end iems.

 

[altib]

Simply because when people spend a lot of money on a pair of IEMs they expect to get a bold, thick cable that could, at least partially, justify their expense. There is no other reason, especially for IEMs where amperage is very low.
Marketing marketing...

 

[GREQ]

Personally, I prefer the slightly thicker so-called mid-tier cables, mostly because the thin ones always eventually get tangled no matter what you do.
Havn't got any experience with the ultra-thicc cables yet, but they do seem over-the-top.

 

[HipHopScribe]

Simply because when people spend a lot of money on a pair of IEMs they expect to get a bold, thick cable that could, at least partially, justify their expense. There is no other reason, especially for IEMs where amperage is very low.
Marketing marketing...

Yep, it's a matter of feeding consumer perception, no matter how illogical

 

[balzucker812]

Simply because when people spend a lot of money on a pair of IEMs they expect to get a bold, thick cable that could, at least partially, justify their expense. There is no other reason, especially for IEMs where amperage is very low.
Marketing marketing...

Why don't they spend that money for more accessories? Carrying case? Tips?
Ehh Id rather thinner cable

 

[balzucker812]

Personally, I prefer the slightly thicker so-called mid-tier cables, mostly because the thin ones always eventually get tangled no matter what you do.
Havn't got any experience with the ultra-thicc cables yet, but they do seem over-the-top.

What's worse are cables that cost more than iems, like who would spent 500 bucks on cables? Spend that on good iems and if needed get some cheap but good cable.

 

[Death_Block]

What's worse are cables that cost more than iems, like who would spent 500 bucks on cables? Spend that on good iems and if needed get some cheap but good cable.

To some, cables offer people sound preferences. Might not be the case for you, but your opinion is as strong as theirs.

 

[GREQ]

What's worse are cables that cost more than iems, like who would spent 500 bucks on cables? Spend that on good iems and if needed get some cheap but good cable.

That audiophool culture is truly beyond my comprehension.
I've never heard a single cable change the sound of a headphone except for when I upgraded a vintage Sennheiser from steel cable to copper.

 

[altib]

That audiophool culture is truly beyond my comprehension.
I've never heard a single cable change the sound of a headphone except for when I upgraded a vintage Sennheiser from steel cable to copper.

Compared the stock cable, a 3rd party one CAN alter the sound but most likely for the worst...
Depending on its impedance, capacitance and inductance, a cable can emphasis or dampen certain frequency by creating a filter, and therefore add a "coloration" to the sound.
Whatever the actual result will be, the brain will interpret this change positively, the more expensive and the thicker the cable is, the more your brain will fool you

If anyone wants to alter the frequency response of his audio gear (in a controlled manner) equalization is the way to go.

 

[balzucker812]

That audiophool culture is truly beyond my comprehension.
I've never heard a single cable change the sound of a headphone except for when I upgraded a vintage Sennheiser from steel cable to copper.

Yea, I'm pretty sure that cables make a difference, it's just that difference is absolutely tiny and might not even be detectable by the human ear. Even if it were, getting expensive cables to get better sound is really not worth it, like spend that money on iems instead as iems make the sound not the cable

 

[Somafunk]

is there any reason? ive tried many iems at a store, the cheap iems almost always have more ergonomic cables, for example, letshuoer s12 2024 editions has a really thick cable with a massive plug. i know its for the removable termination though. but why do so many expensive iems have the biggest cables? i honestly prefer my kiwi ears cadenza included cable over some of the cables ive seen on high end iems.

As others have mentioned, it’s nothing more than a marketing ploy. I much prefer a thin cable with a right angled Jack such as on my kiwi ears Singolo (don’t like the iem though). I’ve removed the cable and use it on the iems in my collection that fit it well