Hey all, I’m a very very casual headphone guy so pardon my ignorance.
I’m currently using a pair of Audio Technica ATH-R70X with the Focusrite Scarlet Solo 3rd gen audio interface and Schiit Magni Heresy amp. I love these headphones but I want to try getting a different sound out of them. I’m thinking of trying the Schiit Valhalla 2 tube amp since I know tube amps sound much different from solid state amps. But first, I wanted to start small and see if there are different cables for these headphones that I can use that would alter the sound. Is that even possible? I was looking into Hart Audio Cables.
Thanks.
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The only time it makes a truly legitimate difference is the the case of cheaper headphone (take Porta pro for example) where there can be quite a bit of noise from the wires themselves and even some clicking against the driver housing. Modding them to a sturdier mmcx and having a heavier cable can make quite a difference. Beyond that… they look cool and that’s about it.
Hart makes great cables and I will always recommend them. They’re great quality and very well made but they’re not going to change the sound. You change cables for aesthetics or for the convenience of their cable system (which I love) but they will not improve the sound unless your current cable is broken.
I have some expensive cables and I consider them more like jewelry, they look nice and all that but they don’t change anything sound wise.
somthing is always going to be the limiting factor. but unless you are getting stupidly high end headphones your cable is not going to be your limiting factor.
Beyond the low bar of being good enough, cables do not affect headphone performance in a significant way, if at all.
Almost zero. There are fringe cases where they matter (like a headphone with incredibly low impedance), but those cases are so rare that it’s basically zero in 99% of cases.
They don’t.
Custom cables are for the looks and/or convenience.
one big convenience is single sided cable mod which I’m glad to pay for it. https://www.reddit.com/r/headphonemods/comments/12lepwn/hd600_single_sided_entry_cable/ I find it really annoying for always using both hands for taking of headphones with double sided cables and glasses.
aftermarket premium cables can be anywhere from detrimental or improve the sound
wouldnt buy anything without trying, too much rubbish at all price ranges
have a budget of at least 1-200 unless you plan on making one yourself
Headphone cables do not affect sound if they aren’t damaged or defective. There are very few exceptions to that, but that only applies if you have a headphone with exceptionally low impedance, as in single digit Ohms. That neither occurs with any of the common driver types, nor with most uncommon types.
However, they can have a significant impact on the user experience. A cable that’s too short is annoying if not downright unusable, a cable that’s too long is just flopping about everywhere, a cable that’s too stiff is unpleasant and can create microphonics, and a cable with a bad surface can feel and look unpleasant. Add all these factors together and cables do matter, just not for the sound itself.
And thus, I can wholeheartedly recommend Hart Audio Cables. They feel nice, they look good, they have very little microphonics, and their modular system allows you to use different outputs for your headphones with the same cable.
But if a different sound is all you’re looking for, new cables are not the way to go.
frankly 5% and probably not really matter. All of my cables now cost about 60-100$( focus on ease of use and interchangable plug) and those are fancy one.
As long as it works, the cable generally should not make any real difference to the audio quality, provided it is of reasonable length and reasonable quality. Placebo effect is always a significant factor with audio though.
Some very low/variable impedance IEMs may be slightly affected by differences between cables, but definitely not those Audio Technicas.
“may” but actually aren’t.
Tl;Dr - no. Buy a new cable if you want to spend money on altering it aesthetically or functionally (eg termination), not for sound quality.
Up to a certain point, headphone cables no longer matter. That point is easily reached, material-wise, with copper. Most headphones come with copper cables already, making any “upgrade” a sidegrade or placebo at best
The exceptions are far and few between. The HD25 comes with a steel cable, for instance. Even then, the difference to copper isn’t enough to worry about.
I remember someone posting their journey with a whole solid core silver cable setup. anyone else actually experience this
Copper cables provide a little bit warmer, fuller sound, and silver-coated or silver cables provide a bit more ringing and clear sound. This happens due to different conduction physics of these materials. Also, the cleaner the conductor material, the less distortions and more volume you will get. Good quality cables are very cheap, returns start to diminish fast at around 10$. That’s probably all you need to know.