Just as with home rigs, personal taste and system synergy come into play in HeadFi systems as well. What improvements/sound characteristics are you looking for?
Looking for cable recommendations for sennheiser HD800s
After auditioning many different headphones at Axpona, I purchased Sennheiser HD800s. I have begun listening and am happy with my decision.
But when auditioning at Axpona, I recall none of the booths used the stock cables- everyone was using an upgraded replacement cable. And as I was focused on the ‘phones, I didn’t really pay much attention to the brands, types, styles of cables. I do recall Kimber, Cardas and Moon were there, but did not seriously retain any impressions. And I know from experience with my home rig that cables can make a big improvement.
So I am looking for recommendations for which cables I should consider for my HD800s. I could spend up to $1000, but would sure like to be in the $500 range. And used would be fine with me, especially if you know a source for used headphone cables as they are a rare commodity on Audiogon. Thanks.
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@soix - detail and soundstage. Acoustic folk/rock/jazz. Not interested in bass. I have Maggies at home driven by tubes. |
@o_holter - I do have balanced Headphone amp, and am using the balanced stock cables that came with the HD800s |
I and several others here have been very impressed with the value and performance of Lavricables headphone cables. They’re made of high-quality silver and offer excellent transparency, air, and soundstage along with excellent tonality and tight bass and all presented in a very refined manner, which is why I think they’d fit very well with what you’re looking for. To me they sound like they’ve been cryo treated (although I don’t think they are) because there’s none of the hyper detail or brightness often associated with silver cables, rather they just sound very open and natural — like there’s nothing between me and the music is best I can describe. I got the Ultimate version, which is the lowest of three levels in the line for the HD800S and love them with my Hifiman Arya Stealths, and they fall well under your $500 lower price target at 2m and with upgraded plugs (I got the rhodium plug and AECO rhodium XLR connectors). The upper Master and Grand models go up in gauge, and the Grand uses 6N silver wire as opposed to 5N in the others. From a performance/value perspective they’re hard to beat, but the downside is they come from Latvia and are non returnable although there is a one year warranty. However, as far as I know nobody here would’ve returned them anyway given their universally very positive impressions FWIW. I was so happy I also got their balanced interconnects to go between my DAC and headphone amp as well as their dongle for travel purposes (a big upgrade from the Apple Camera Adapter BTW) and have been thrilled with all of them. Here are links for the cables for the HS800S and a review just fyi. Hope this helps, and best of luck. |
@soix thanks- I’ll definitely look into them. |
@soix - any opinion on the ultimates compared to the master or grand? The master is still well below my budget and the grands are on the high side but still doable. The grands do look significantly “thicker” which may have some practical limitations. But any sonic opinions? |
Unfortunately I’m only familiar with the Ultimate line, and all I know is a couple others here got the Grand headphone cables and were really impressed and happy with them relative to their prior cables. Looks like the Grand is only like $90 more than the Master and gives you higher grade and gauge silver wire that’s also cryo treated so seems well worth the extra $ if it’s in budget. Plus you don’t have to live with the inevitable “what if” question if you just go for the Grand. I can tell you that my Ultimate cables are very light and flexible (I didn’t opt for the silk sleeving BTW and dig the “naked” look a lot) so I wouldn’t worry much about them being too thick, heavy, or stiff. That’s all I got and hope it helps a little. |
@soix - I just ordered the grand from from lavricable. With the 150 hour burn in, I expect about 2-3 weeks before they arrive. I’ll let you know how they sound. Thanks for your thoughts. |
I hope you get a good cable solution. I used the HD600 for some years, and got a balanced cable for it (to my OTL headphone amp) which was a plus. But we never became close friends, I found the sound closed in and the comfort poor. Next, I changed to Akg 701, that I liked better, more open sound, and again, improving with balanced cable. Now I use Audioquest Nighthawk and Nightowl headphones, and don’t look back. I have not tried the HD800. |
I was looking at getting a Lavri cable for a pair of driver type headphones that I had made for me but I was not sure that I could afford what I wanted. Anyway, I then contacted Travis at Corpes Cables and I bought a Gravedigger and am very impressed with the cable and the customer service. His cable sounds significantly better than the HiFi Man stock cable that I was using. https://corpsecable.com/pages/corpse-cable-gravedigger-made-in-usa-by-cardas-audio |
1- timing might have more to do with our wives, rather than who’s a better man😀……. 2- listening observations. Compared to the baseline OEM senn cables, it feels like a veil has been lifted. The lavicables have more air around the mids and highs; not sure if they are more detailed per se, or if the lifting of the veil just allows me to hear more of the details of the music. I first thought some of the vocals in the OEM were warmer, but with further listening, I think the OEMs were a bit muddier. maybe the lavricables are a bit leaner through the mids- not yet sure about this- or perhaps I can hear more details in the female voices, Tracy Chapman, for example. with the air and ability to hear the details, this greatly improves the soundstage. So, with the type of music I listen to, the lavricables create a more enjoyable experience. Two thumbs up. Thanks for your recommendation and taking the time to help me out. |
Whew! I’m always a bit nervous recommending cables, but when you mentioned you were looking for better detail and soundstage I thought you’d like these so very glad to hear it’s been positive thus far. I’d give them at least 100 hours before making more firm conclusions, but in the meantime congrats! |
@soix - yep, always patient with my final conclusion, but I did pay lavricable for the 100 hour burn in service (as it was not much money) so I feel comfortable that we are mostly there. |
@larsman thanks, but I have already purchased the lavricables. |
