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Ambiance
0
Dec 1, 2016
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In anticipating for the arrival of my first HD 6xxx headphone, I would like to build my own cable. Anyone knows where I can buy the plug (dual plug) that connects to the headphone? What is the size of the plug? I will be terminating the other end with 1/4" plug. Thanks!
Dec 1, 2016
Budget_Audiophile
98
Dec 1, 2016
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AmbianceGoogle "HD 650 connector" as the HD 6XXX uses the same connections.
This may help: http://www.diyaudioblog.com/2011/09/building-sennheiser-headphone-cable.html
Dec 1, 2016
Heefty
1387
Dec 1, 2016
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AmbianceYou are describing the default HD650 cable. You can buy those easily and probably cheaper than you can make one for. I actually already ordered one from Amazon as well since I wanted the option of a 3m cable. I can't speak to the quality yet if that's why you're building it though.
Dec 1, 2016
Ambiance
0
Dec 1, 2016
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HeeftyI would like to use silver coated cable, and I can build one without paying big bucks. My problem is getting the right terminal end that connects to the headphone. I cannot find one at a local electronic store.
Dec 1, 2016
Ambiance
0
Dec 1, 2016
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HeeftyThanks a lot for that link! That's what I am looking for. I am doing exactly what the article is describing. The comment section mentioned about the Cardas terminal which you can get at parts connextion.
Dec 1, 2016
Ambiance
0
Dec 1, 2016
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Budget_AudiophileMade a mistake of replying to the right person. See my response to Heefty. Thanks again!!!
Dec 1, 2016
Heefty
1387
Dec 1, 2016
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AmbianceThat's a fair reason for it. I think the one I bought is uncoated OFC. It was pretty cheap so I can't imagine it be silver coated.
Dec 1, 2016
TheWiseFool
7
Dec 1, 2016
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AmbianceWhat's the benefit of a silver coated cabled?
Dec 1, 2016
Ambiance
0
Dec 1, 2016
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TheWiseFoolI find it to be more detailed and a good match for a dark sound. For my taste, silver coated cable makes the dark sound less.
Dec 1, 2016
Heefty
1387
Dec 1, 2016
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AmbianceSilver is more conductive than copper. I'm not sold on that resulting in discernibly superior audio quality, but I could theorize on a few reasons why it might.
Dec 1, 2016
Ambiance
0
Dec 2, 2016
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HeeftyEvery time I change the regular speaker copper cable on my 2-channel system with silver coated one, I notice a difference in the mid to upper frequency. It is more detailed and has more sparkle in the highs, but YMMV. I would not use it in a bright speaker though. Maybe you are right, due to better conductivity. I am not sure if it will be a good match with HD 650. I have to listen to the stock cable first and see.
Dec 2, 2016
Heefty
1387
Dec 2, 2016
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AmbianceMy theories do match with improved high end performance. If I remember right from physics, higher frequency signals actually transmit via a skin of charge on the outer surface of the conductor compared to lower frequencies which use the whole thing. Having a more conductive material there will result in less loss along the length of the cable. Another way to improve this is to use a multi-stranded conductor instead of a solid copper wire. There's more surface area that way. Balanced amps will help too.
Dec 2, 2016
Objectiveone
2
Dec 2, 2016
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AmbianceUnless you have extreme cable runs there will be no perceptible difference. These ideas have been debunked many times with actual measurements rather than perception. For example: http://www.audioholics.com/gadget-reviews/speaker-cable-and-audio-interconnects
Dec 2, 2016
Heefty
1387
Dec 2, 2016
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ObjectiveoneThat's exactly why I'm still skeptical on it, having never heard the difference personally. However, I've also seen the same types of studies done to show that there is no perceptible difference between CD quality digital and HiFi digital (96+kHz/24+bit) but I have no trouble distinguishing the difference in proper listening environments. I'm not about to judge what a person can discern and what they can't having never been that person. If it's worth the extra expense to that person, that's their choice to make.
Dec 2, 2016
datglasstho
38
Dec 2, 2016
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ObjectiveoneYeah but if you bring actual measurements into it half of what Massdrop sells under audiophile is rendered overpriced snake oil.
Dec 2, 2016
iCeOL8TRAmnesia
132
Dec 4, 2016
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datglassthoNo you are a "Digital Infallibility Computer Weenie" please silence your noob cheapskate nonsense. AUDIOPHILE IS GOD and all who defy it are merely the unwashed(by pure sound) masses. You have no taste and you disgust me.
OCC(Ohno Continuous Cast) Silver Plated copper wire does sound better and it is the best bang for the buck wire you can use for headphone cables and unshielded(or you could make a shield with spaghetti tubing aluminum powder and some other outer tubing like primoflex advanced lrt(expensive option but it shouldnt yellow as much over the years) yes this will make a very heavy and expensive interconnect but it will also have god shielding and is a near foolproof homebrew method which doesnt require expensive equipment. I've also been looking for aluminum flake like glitter but with no adulterants just pure aluminum flake like used in fireworks but this firework market also makes it more expensive looking for a cheap aluminum firework flake source or aluminum direct manufacturer contact but its not one of the easiest things to find on the internet for the same price you can buy aluminum powder(which is boring looking) on ebay.
Pure Silver OCC is even better but its prohibitively expensive(even when purchased directly from china) and unless its for a very short cable or internal component wiring the price will probably be too rich for your blood if you dont know this already and are a noob audiophile and flat wire is better than round wire and welding is better than tin solder even if its 5% silver solder but 5% silver solder is better than regular solder by a longshot tho hydraulic crimps and either sonic welding or microwelding are better still assuming you weld with copper or silver or the copper or silver wire directly to the connector. Silver is really amazing when it comes to audio people say its too bright but this is because they have listened to copper their entire lives. I find it just transmits more audio data(quantum level?) and is far more clear. I have also learned repairing things that often headphone manfacturer will pick a set of very bright drivers and then tone down the highs with some kind of low grade or resistive solder and this solder may even be tuned for a specific resistivity or frequency limitation like a bandpass filter because when I resolder these headphones cables back on the drivers with silver solder 5% they become way brighter at first you think its too much but even if you are forced to EQ the highs down the EQd down highs will sound better than the resistive solder they put on there and the bass will also have more punch and clarity not just in the highs but in the entire frequency range. So look out for that.
Oh yeah I might as well add this little bit of info as well there is also Gold and OCC Gold but these wires are super expensive and while Im sure they transmit less data(quantum analysis) it does impart a honeyed sound and also gold is the most corrosion proof metal known to man. Ive seen OCC pure silver wires(not just plated copper) with 1% or a few % of gold these are some of the most expensive OCC wires I have seen stratospheric prices even directly from china the 1% probably tones down the silver a little or just provides resistance to tarnish but even oxidized silver is a better conductor than oxidized copper. Remember always seal the end of a nice coated wire with some glue so that air and moisture dont travel inside the often teflon sheath. Mundorf probably considered the top component manufacturer on earth puts 1% gold in their silver wires as well... dont remember if they are OCC tho thats mostly from asian manufacturers. I think the asians are right about OCC and their wire is now superior. I can hear a difference and I think there is also a speed difference ontop of the clarity but I have no way to measure it its just a feeling I have(that ive never taken the time to break down and substantiate exactly why I think this what aspect what stimuli of the resulting system which makes me say this).
I also buy cheap trs jack splitters from china off ebay and tin all the internal brass vias inside with 5% silver solder and it makes them sound a million times better. I would love to read a study testing various levels of silver solder or brazing with silver rod or welding and various concentrations to see where the most performance occurs because if just 5% in solder does so much I think just a small amount of silver atoms greatly increases some aspect of the entire piece. Just like a power cable will make gear sound better you have to remember ac the electrons just go back and forth and electrons travel like 8cm per hour give or take so its just the wave transmitting the data then why does a well constructed power cable make the piece of gear sound better? Better geometry of the wires and more uniformity of electron flow? Pools of electrons? the real audiophile gurus already know allot of these things but the noobs just blow off what they dont understand because its not taught in school but when you play with things in the real world you find these things do work and so there has to be an explanation you are not taught and also basic electricity does not teach you every aspect of a circuit(and all the resulting attributes and specs and readings when you make adjustments). They still discover new things about electricity all the time especially as they shrink electronics smaller and smaller and I'm sorry audiophile gear always sounds far better its easy to hear the difference the first time you listen to it. The devil is always in the details and audiophiles and equipment manufacturers are just people who study these tricks and details and the result is clearer and more engaging sound.
Dec 4, 2016
datglasstho
38
Dec 4, 2016
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Dec 4, 2016
Pillars
8
Dec 6, 2016
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iCeOL8TRAmnesiaBro, get the hell out of here with that.
Dec 6, 2016
iCeOL8TRAmnesia
132
Dec 7, 2016
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AmbianceYeah accuracy, information, complete answers, material science(in a thread where someone else brought up recabling) get the hell out of here with that.... ok then just listen to your realtek through your beats headphones and quit coming on massdrop....... according to you computer weenies "audiophile is snakeoil" so why spend more money than the absolute minimum? I think you children are confused and are forgetting your audience thus it is you spouting that nonsense in the wrong and place and it is you that should leave.
Dec 7, 2016
Pillars
8
Dec 8, 2016
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iCeOL8TRAmnesiaI build my own cables, they can sound a bit different but honestly, not worth any price premiums. I lol at those wacky suggestions like using gold. I run 650/400i on Mimby/Jot.
Dec 8, 2016
iCeOL8TRAmnesia
132
Dec 8, 2016
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AmbianceI just liad out all the best wire on the planet. You can get good occ silver plated copper for 1.50 per meter(50 cents a foot). Which comes out to about a 1.50 per foot(3 wires) for standard trs jack unshielded interconnect which is not all that pricey and you will hear more highs. Have you tried occ or did you just use ofc? because there is a difference and there is also a difference with silver plating......... People dont say silver is too bright(too sharp) because of placebo.......... I didnt suggest you use gold you obviously missed the point of the post.... You young guys always have a kneejerk reaction to things(there also seems to be this perception that people use silver and gold just because they are expensive no this is not at all accurate it is merely the material science and electrical properties(highest conductance metals)) because you cant afford it and Ive noticed more of this poor mentality lately.... quit limiting yourself study deals(even internet shopping) and business and youll find in no time you can afford everything you ever wanted......
Dec 8, 2016
datglasstho
38
Dec 8, 2016
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iCeOL8TRAmnesiaYou know nothing about me and what I can or can't afford, but what I do know about you is that you're an audiofool. Enjoy your perceived benefits of your nonsensical silver cables for inaudible differences of "speed" that you gain by replacing your 3-6 ft headphone cable. People like you don't listen to music; you listen to equipment.
Dec 8, 2016
iCeOL8TRAmnesia
132
Dec 9, 2016
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datglassthoGo ab your cheap crap interconnect(that you got off ebay or amazon for 10 dollars(which is still a ripoff)) and then make an occ silver interconnect(where all the parts and steps are thought out but this is beyond you). Your right I do listen to equipment and listening on a Chord Mojo + iFi iCanSE, Hugo, 2Qute, or an iDSD or iDSD Black Label is going to be a million times better than almost anything else youve been listening to unless you have a high end well implemented sabre like a matrix etc(Chord will beat Sabre). So when you get it its like listening to equipment cause everything sounds better but eventually you get used to it or even listening to music for a few minutes your mind doesnt stay locked on thinking about the equipment eventually your mind drifts into music and when its higher quality it just sounds better and you get lost in it easier. Go test it out what you cant afford a self made interconnect for 1.50 per foot? that silver wire also looks good that silver plate is shiny braid it up(I even recabled a soundsticks just because it matched so much better than the stock wires that shiny silver braid(its not about the looks but it is a nice secondary aspect) and all clear plastic(youll have to learn how to do this youll get better after you make a few you might have to unbraid your first one and rebraid it a few times before you get it down) and it will amaze you how good it sounds and that you made it yourself(have to get into heatshrink and soldering as well make sure you get a solder tip cleaner machine(hakko) and the tip cleaner paste makes soldering with high end solder easier so that way you can clean the tip and not taint your nice 5% silver solder). Ive resoldered and recabled some iems and the difference was extremely drastic not only were they louder but way more clear thoughout the whole frequency range and these were 400 dollar well reguarded iems(one of the best of the first round of audiophile level universals that came out like 8 years ago). There is a reason 6moons like to recable all their headphones with braided silver plated occ or pure silver it just works. Dont listen to these Digital Infallibility Cheapasses they have no idea what they are talking about. They think they have some inside track or realization on what is a man(trust me they aren't men they are just cynical brainwashes trapped in the rat race and they like to zap other mice in the rat maze that are jumping over the walls and making them look like fools "settle down fastaz let me put the brakes on you" but what I do is ____ the _____________) and Audiophile is just not it to them. AUDIOPHILE IS GOD ALL ELSE IS IRRELEVANT. Its too bad they have no attention to detail and or test things and AB them or do any critical listening.
Dec 9, 2016
datglasstho
38
Dec 9, 2016
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iCeOL8TRAmnesiaFor the music you listen to, was it recorded with microphones using silver wires? Really curious about that. If it wasn't, which I'd bet it wasn't, I'm wondering how you're able to open up all of this revelatory new information from the recordings, your claims of such drastic improvement from existing equipment that you already regard as being top shelf stuff, from using non-copper cables on your end for stuff that was recorded with copper.
Dec 9, 2016
iCeOL8TRAmnesia
132
Dec 10, 2016
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datglassthoI never claimed that you were getting the full data theoretically possible. I'm sure we have a long way to go before we ever get close to that point. Really if you want to analyze the whole drivetrain I'm sure the micrphone capsule itself and mics circruity are the areas where the most improvement can be made and yes I'm sure that a long copper xlr cable would blur the sound. I can hear the difference between a 3ft interconnect and one thats 9 inches so yes I'm sure a copper mic cable would make the sound worse but was every recording every mic an akg c12? I bet not and also how its recorded is somewhat irrelevant what we are talking about here is only reproducing the recording not remastering it. Recordings especially older ones they leave in the clicks and pops cause it adds grain that recordings from those times had and those would all be considered defects by modern standards so really your question is out of the frame of reference. This also assumes that what is recorded by the mic is directly recorded on the track these days thats not usually the case usually it is digitally filtered and processed and allot of the sound on tracks these days dont even come from microphones as they are digital or some other soundmachine in origin so the mic recording can be cleaned up to an extent that it could degrade more really instead of looking at the recording wire as some quality ceiling I think the proper way to look at it is:
we will ignore shielding for now as you could write a book on that alone
RANKED IN OVERALL ORDER OF IMPORTANCE TO IMPARTING CLEAN AUDIO ACTUALLY MATERIAL IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR BUT WE WILL ASSUME THAT WE ARE TALKING METALS ALUMINUM OR BETTER AND ONCE THIS IS ASSUMED THEN LENGTH OF RUN BECOMES THE LARGEST DECIDING FACTOR SO WHILE WITH HIGH CONDUCTANCE METAL WIRE MOST OF THEM WILL SOUND GOOD ESPECIALLY AT SHORT LENGHTHS OVERALL IT IS STILL THE PRIME FACTOR(ITS JUST BECAUSE WE ARE COMPARING THE BEST OF THE BEST OF CONDUCTANCE THAT IT THEN IS NOT THE MOST DECIDING FACTOR BUT COMPARED TO EVERY OTHER MATERIAL THAT WE KNOW OF IT WOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE OVERALL FACTOR BUT OF COURSE PRODUCTS IN THE MARKET ARE NOT MADE OF LOW CONDUCTANCE MATERIALS THUS THE FACTORS BELOW ARE IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE WHEN ALREADY COMPARING THE BEST OF THE BEST OR THE 1% OF THE 1% OF THE 1%(THERE ARE MORE MATERIALS THAN JUST ELEMENTS AND MANY OF THEM ARE POOR CONDUCTORS)
Factors to consider when purchasing wire for audio in the global market:
FACTOR #1 THE LONGER THE RUN OF WIRE THE MORE IT DEGRADES THE SIGNAL FACTOR #2 DIAMETER OF THE WIRE This affects different frequencies differently more cross section the better bass and low frenquency high power drivers are fed thinner cross section better highs down to a point where the driver itself is not getting enough power thicker cross sections shouldnt be used on tweeters cause they can blur the highs. FACTOR #3 MATERIALS OF THE WIRE (copper(never trust gauges given always take a sample of the wire and test it for resistance they did some tests of copper wire and Auvio(now discontinued from radio shack some of the more obscure radio shacks still have it and they have free store to store shIpping) was the best it beat monoprice(which was shist copper weight wise and you see every Digital Infallibilty Computer Weenie telling everyone that spending anymore than monoprice is a total waste of money) and every other brands 12 gauge wire because it had the most weight of copper per foot and thus was the better conductor it even beat out monsters top of the line wire(that whatever monster fancy looking black something speaker wire what monster sells is optical wire jacketing that makes the wire look fat then they put a fancy winding of copper wire inside that looks pretty and may have different coatings to make it contrasty and pretty) which is usually less than 12 guage now(12 awg is known to be a good balance of bass and highs for speakers without becoming more expensive 8 and 10 gauge are better for low frequency speaker power wire but they can muddy the upper frequencies), aluminum(this is only good for grounding and chasis sinks dont use it for audio wire) that cheap copper wire on amazon and ebay and invading car audio is cca copper clad aluminum never use this trash, silver, gold, carbon nano tube, carbon) I havent run into wires made of anything else a good guide for which material is best is a conductance chart on the internet. Obviously we are assuming aluminum or better (carbon is actually superior to aluminum despite its high resistance). Of course this is also where plating(and cladding) belongs remember the electrons repel each other and thus flow on the outside near the surface of the conductor. Avoid cladding it tends to be a sloppy cheap sweatshop technology cut a cladded wire and view the often malformed aluminum copper cladded cross section you will see the aluminum inside is distorted as well as the copper layer even tho it looks uniform on the exterior. FACTOR #4 UNIFORMITY OF THE WIRE( even Van den Hul carbon tube interconnects sound amazing despite high resistance of carbon thus geometry of the wire plays a very important role, OCC is better than OFC of every material and not only is cryotreatment used for audio equipment(contracting the metal and making it more uniform) and wire its also used to strengthen engine parts(contracting the metal improving the grain and strength) in highly boosted engines and racing so only morons scoff at cryotreatment which is a proven technology it does change metal structure on a very fine scale) FACTOR 5 #5 STRANDING OF THE WIRE OR SOLID CORE stranding from the manufacturer is often tuned for durability(more stands means more flexible and less likely to break if the cable if often worn or manipulated) and sound quality(but not always if they have negated certain technologies you can assume this laziness has poisoned their entire design approach) solid core is often considered more clean and less muddied thus stranding while increasing durability also can blur the sound if there are too many strands or the diameter of the strands is too small by the same token it also increases outer surface area for the same cross section which can have power benefits in certain power ranges but is not seen as increasing the max power handling because it is more likely one strand will become overloaded and melt and because the overall heat handling of standed wire is less than(because smaller wires melt far easier but audio is usually well below these levels) that of a solid core wire of the same cross section.
There are many more factors but these are the major ones and many more factors based on application.
Also the recording itself and bitrate matter have you listened to any DSD tracks? I gaurantee you even tho that dsd track was probably recorded on a copper wire xlr mic you will hear a difference between silver plated occ and ofc copper dsd is extremely detailed its what they master sacd from..........
So the way to look at wiring is that you have a source(whether its a recording or other source) and that longer runs of wire and the other factors can only degrade from that ideal that you lose signal and integrity due to physics and distortion(negating interference). And so you will always get more clarity with better wire and the shortest runs required(most people run too much wire cause they want to place a speaker somewhere less than ideal or just for modularity which becomes their deciding factor over "overall possible sound quality" that they could get from their system). Wires are what allow us to pass very clean signal over comparably long distances often much further than connections inside a chasis(not overall but point to point) and so its like throwing a long piece of metal resistor(or in your case an ofc resistor with sloppy grainstructure and tons of boundaries vs an OCC wire which is one single crystal of metal for 250 meters or more) inbetween you and your sound thats why you have to spend the money on wires(you can even upgrade chasis signal and power wires and upgrade the equipment on the inside there are many diy guys who started selling these services online and if you know what your doing and dont ____ up peoples stuff you can make allot of money doing that. Especially people with endgame equipment(the best speakers, sources, amps etc) cause there is nothing else better to purchase all you can do is mod and upgrade the top stuff to make it sound better or add better power cables(it has been stated by many that upgrading the power cord can be a bigger improvement than interconnects assuming you have decent interconnects already).
Dec 10, 2016
datglasstho
38
Dec 11, 2016
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iCeOL8TRAmnesiaShine on you crazy diamond.
Dec 11, 2016
iCeOL8TRAmnesia
132
Dec 13, 2016
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datglassthoNo this isnt that subject.......... I like to keep my posts on MassDrop kosher and corporate........
Dec 13, 2016
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