digihead
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 30, 2004
- Posts
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I've been meaning to do this write up for quite some time. I guess now is that time.
Coming up on my two year anniversary of joining head-fi and I read FAR more than I ever post. Reading some of my posts, I don't know that this is necessarily a bad thing.
I came to head-fi in search of the "ultimate iPod headphone". This was right at the time of the UE10Pro/Sensaphonics reviews and debates. Lets just say we can fast forward through the resulting rush of head-fi journey and say that I ended up with The UE10Pro, Sensaphonics 2xs, Westone ES3, Westone ES2 and UE5c IEMs. Add to that an S-71, Hornet, 5g 60gig iPod (lossless files) and a TurboDock II and there is the potential to take a portable system to a whole new level from starting at a Panasonic SL-SX510, Total Airhead, Etymotic ER4s (with Westone molds).
I discovered pretty early on in the IEM journey that a mini to mini can have some very synergistic effects on a portable system. At the time, the BlackDragon mini gave the ES3 that touch of warmth and needed bass to help round out the sonic picture.
Lets just say that I've been trying out quite a few mini to mini cables and wanted to share a few thoughts on what I've heard.
Unlike even a couple of years ago, there are significantly more killer quality mini to mini cables out there. Overall, its a great time to be a portable headphone freak.
Rather than go through every cable that I've listened to, I'd rather just talk about my top picks in no particular order. This is all in my opinion, using my ears, with the music I listen to on the equipment I have, etc. Take it for whatever its worth...
Part of the struggle in sitting down to write this was not only finding the time to be disciplined enough to do it, but also in how to approach my thoughts on the mini cables. At some points, trying to explain the sound when you rarely discuss your overall thoughts on differences in the IEMs or amps can be challenging.
My basic building blocks:
I consider myself to be a music lover first, then someone that loves killer sound, and lastly an audiophile.
I like a full bodied, slightly warm, detailed sound that is clean and clear, punchy when needed and portrays an emotional, involving midrange beckoning to being at a live performance seeing your favorite band with a small group of your best friends ten rows from the stage unbelievable sound experience.
The UE10Pro - clean, clear and tight. Detailed sound that can be harshly revealing, and a bit cold at times. If you work around these issues, this IEM can get you to a truly unbelievable sonic experience.
The Westone ES2 - smooth, slighly dark, punchy bass and a killer midrange. This IEM was meant for rock and roll, and the Hornet.
(These are the two IEMs I listen to and are the only ones used in this write up.
The SR-71 - airy, clear, huge soundstage and just an overall 'big' sound from a portable amp with a killer midrange.
The Hornet - Once burned in (300+ hours for me) this amp can do incredible things for its tiny size. More of a focused presentation, vocals more forward, and a sound that at times I would agree is a 'swarm of music'.
Mini to Mini Cables:
Zynsonix VRAY Prime - I came to Zynsonix (highflyin9) near the end of my mini to mini journey. Brian was incredible to deal with. At that point I was looking for some pretty specific things in my portable sound and Brian was right on the money with his knowledge and understanding of what his cables sound like. The VRAY Prime is a minimally insulated copper mini. I typically try and refrain from commenting on a product when I first receive it. I usually like to give some time to get to know the sound and the associated puts and takes before jumping into praise. The biggest praise I can igve the VRAY Prime is to say that by the end of the first night I had listened to it, I said to myself even if I had lost the cable the very next day, the price I paid for it was worth the musical experience I had the night before. I had no idea that it was possible to get the UE10pros to sound like they did. UE10pro>SR-71>VRAY Prime made the UE10s sound alive. Unbelievable. Anybody who thinks the UE10s are cold or struggle in terms of portraying a truly 'musical' presentation has never heard this combo. This cable is basically alive. I can't help but tap my toe when I listen to it. I become one of those people that don't really realize it but they are rockin out in public listening to their headphones (and I find that annoying myself.) The only faults really associated with this cable are more due to its copper nature with silver having a certain level of tightness and bass control that copper just can't quite match.
Zynsonix EYS - A solid core based silver cable. I have to admit, I initially thought the sound of this cable was 'okay'. Not sure why exactly, it sounded nice but it didn't strike a chord with me for some reason. I burned it in, set it aside and almost sold it. Turns out that would have been a huge mistake. Almost like getting a call from the governor at two minutes to midnight, I decided to give this cable a serious listen before I sold it. ES2>Hornet>EYS...I have never heard the ES2s at this level. They need a little shot of silver to lift a bit of the darkness and turn on the stage lighting. WIth the ES2s in this configuration, I could make a very strong argument that there is no need to look any further for an ultimate ipod setup. Same caveats apply here as to the VRAY Prime in that the limitations of the cable center more around being silver based than anything else. Meaning that this cable loses out on some of the warmth and emotion of the VRAY Prime while picking up the tightness and bass control at the same time.
Grover UR6 - I am a fan of Grover's sound. At some point I saw a reference to a Grover mini in a fellow head-fier's sig and contacted Grover. After the two and a half months it took to arrive, I figured there was no way this cable could ever be worth it. After all, at that particular point in time I had already heard what I considered to be some unbelievable cables. After hearing nearly a dozen mini to minis, and somewhat in spite of myself, the Grover is my mini to mini reference point. What that really means to me is that for whatever reason, this mini gives me a sound that leads me to spend the most time listening to it. This is not intentional, rather the Grover exhibits a kind of Grover Groovin sound that is addictive in itself. There were many times when I would be comparing minis and start listening to the Grover and before I know it I've unintentionally listened to the rest of the CD and forgotten about evaluating the cables. The Grover has pinpoint laser imaging precision without being harsh. The sound is clean, clear and dynamic with a solid musical and bass foundation that lays an oil painting on a blackground canvas. That is not to say that its not without its faults. Although a cable I consider to be a solid consistent performer across various amps and headphones, at times the sound can be a smiley face. Highs and bass emphasis while the midrange can sound a bit hollowed out.
I could easily live with any of the three cables above as my only mini to mini. Thankfully, I have all three.
Coming up on my two year anniversary of joining head-fi and I read FAR more than I ever post. Reading some of my posts, I don't know that this is necessarily a bad thing.
I came to head-fi in search of the "ultimate iPod headphone". This was right at the time of the UE10Pro/Sensaphonics reviews and debates. Lets just say we can fast forward through the resulting rush of head-fi journey and say that I ended up with The UE10Pro, Sensaphonics 2xs, Westone ES3, Westone ES2 and UE5c IEMs. Add to that an S-71, Hornet, 5g 60gig iPod (lossless files) and a TurboDock II and there is the potential to take a portable system to a whole new level from starting at a Panasonic SL-SX510, Total Airhead, Etymotic ER4s (with Westone molds).
I discovered pretty early on in the IEM journey that a mini to mini can have some very synergistic effects on a portable system. At the time, the BlackDragon mini gave the ES3 that touch of warmth and needed bass to help round out the sonic picture.
Lets just say that I've been trying out quite a few mini to mini cables and wanted to share a few thoughts on what I've heard.
Unlike even a couple of years ago, there are significantly more killer quality mini to mini cables out there. Overall, its a great time to be a portable headphone freak.
Rather than go through every cable that I've listened to, I'd rather just talk about my top picks in no particular order. This is all in my opinion, using my ears, with the music I listen to on the equipment I have, etc. Take it for whatever its worth...
Part of the struggle in sitting down to write this was not only finding the time to be disciplined enough to do it, but also in how to approach my thoughts on the mini cables. At some points, trying to explain the sound when you rarely discuss your overall thoughts on differences in the IEMs or amps can be challenging.
My basic building blocks:
I consider myself to be a music lover first, then someone that loves killer sound, and lastly an audiophile.
I like a full bodied, slightly warm, detailed sound that is clean and clear, punchy when needed and portrays an emotional, involving midrange beckoning to being at a live performance seeing your favorite band with a small group of your best friends ten rows from the stage unbelievable sound experience.
The UE10Pro - clean, clear and tight. Detailed sound that can be harshly revealing, and a bit cold at times. If you work around these issues, this IEM can get you to a truly unbelievable sonic experience.
The Westone ES2 - smooth, slighly dark, punchy bass and a killer midrange. This IEM was meant for rock and roll, and the Hornet.
(These are the two IEMs I listen to and are the only ones used in this write up.
The SR-71 - airy, clear, huge soundstage and just an overall 'big' sound from a portable amp with a killer midrange.
The Hornet - Once burned in (300+ hours for me) this amp can do incredible things for its tiny size. More of a focused presentation, vocals more forward, and a sound that at times I would agree is a 'swarm of music'.
Mini to Mini Cables:
Zynsonix VRAY Prime - I came to Zynsonix (highflyin9) near the end of my mini to mini journey. Brian was incredible to deal with. At that point I was looking for some pretty specific things in my portable sound and Brian was right on the money with his knowledge and understanding of what his cables sound like. The VRAY Prime is a minimally insulated copper mini. I typically try and refrain from commenting on a product when I first receive it. I usually like to give some time to get to know the sound and the associated puts and takes before jumping into praise. The biggest praise I can igve the VRAY Prime is to say that by the end of the first night I had listened to it, I said to myself even if I had lost the cable the very next day, the price I paid for it was worth the musical experience I had the night before. I had no idea that it was possible to get the UE10pros to sound like they did. UE10pro>SR-71>VRAY Prime made the UE10s sound alive. Unbelievable. Anybody who thinks the UE10s are cold or struggle in terms of portraying a truly 'musical' presentation has never heard this combo. This cable is basically alive. I can't help but tap my toe when I listen to it. I become one of those people that don't really realize it but they are rockin out in public listening to their headphones (and I find that annoying myself.) The only faults really associated with this cable are more due to its copper nature with silver having a certain level of tightness and bass control that copper just can't quite match.
Zynsonix EYS - A solid core based silver cable. I have to admit, I initially thought the sound of this cable was 'okay'. Not sure why exactly, it sounded nice but it didn't strike a chord with me for some reason. I burned it in, set it aside and almost sold it. Turns out that would have been a huge mistake. Almost like getting a call from the governor at two minutes to midnight, I decided to give this cable a serious listen before I sold it. ES2>Hornet>EYS...I have never heard the ES2s at this level. They need a little shot of silver to lift a bit of the darkness and turn on the stage lighting. WIth the ES2s in this configuration, I could make a very strong argument that there is no need to look any further for an ultimate ipod setup. Same caveats apply here as to the VRAY Prime in that the limitations of the cable center more around being silver based than anything else. Meaning that this cable loses out on some of the warmth and emotion of the VRAY Prime while picking up the tightness and bass control at the same time.
Grover UR6 - I am a fan of Grover's sound. At some point I saw a reference to a Grover mini in a fellow head-fier's sig and contacted Grover. After the two and a half months it took to arrive, I figured there was no way this cable could ever be worth it. After all, at that particular point in time I had already heard what I considered to be some unbelievable cables. After hearing nearly a dozen mini to minis, and somewhat in spite of myself, the Grover is my mini to mini reference point. What that really means to me is that for whatever reason, this mini gives me a sound that leads me to spend the most time listening to it. This is not intentional, rather the Grover exhibits a kind of Grover Groovin sound that is addictive in itself. There were many times when I would be comparing minis and start listening to the Grover and before I know it I've unintentionally listened to the rest of the CD and forgotten about evaluating the cables. The Grover has pinpoint laser imaging precision without being harsh. The sound is clean, clear and dynamic with a solid musical and bass foundation that lays an oil painting on a blackground canvas. That is not to say that its not without its faults. Although a cable I consider to be a solid consistent performer across various amps and headphones, at times the sound can be a smiley face. Highs and bass emphasis while the midrange can sound a bit hollowed out.
I could easily live with any of the three cables above as my only mini to mini. Thankfully, I have all three.
