Do Premium Headphone Cables Make an Audible Difference? Norne Audio Cable Review (video)

[amirm]

Has Amir done anything similar on cables (wires) for speakers? It would be interesting to test cables representing a few orders of magnitude difference in price.

Not yet but have a couple in for testing.

 

[Robbo99999]

Hi All,

Just to share the following tweak that should also work with headphone cables:

I prepared the following experiment to improve the sound of my system by adapting interlinks like described below.
The difference I hear is incredible.
So much more juicy and sweat the sound, like never before.
Pity I cannot do measurements since I do not own the proper equipment.

View attachment 124164

Interlink Update :
Take 2 Pink Lady or Elstar apples and use a tool called “appelboor” or “apple corer” to remove the core.
Feed both cables trough their own apple and connect it to your system.

Enjoy the music,

Thanks,
Stokdoof,

Good, that's how you do it.....thought you didn't de-core the apples first and just pushed the cables through the apple by force....but no, you did it right!

 

[MZKM]

Not yet but have a couple in for testing.

Gene has a recent video where he has done LCR testing and also testing when powering his F328Be. I think he did measure a difference with a directional cable.

Of course nothing audible to note.

What I commented is that I would love to see a before/after LCR result of a Nordost cable before/after being used on their VIDAR machine, which is at their dealers and they state you should use at least once a year or after a period of non-use.
I think they charge ~$50.

Here is a comment I wrote a while back:

https://www.nordost.com/faqs-break-in.php

How long do my cables have to break in?
Normally, we recommend at least 168 hours. However, our Reference level cables require at least 336 hours.

What is the best way to break in my cables?
The best way to break in your cables is to have them burned in on the Nordost VIDAR machine by an Authorized Dealer. Most dealers will do this for a small charge and many offer this service when you buy your cables from them. This is another reason to buy your cable from an Authorized Nordost Dealer.

What happens during break in?
Considerable changes occur in the cable during the break in process. Any gases that were trapped between the insulation and the conductors during manufacturing are dissipated. Additionally, the insulation material charges up. The diode effects of the conductor will be more pronounced after 168 hours of break in. During this time the cable takes on a direction.

How long does break in last?
If the cable has not been used for more than one month, it will benefit from being broken in on the VIDAR. It is a good idea to bring your cables back to your local dealer every year and have them broken in again.

 

[Aperiodic]

Yeah, and I learned a couple of years ago that there is a "natural conveyor belt" type system in your ear that pushes wax out of it's own accord. Scientists discovered this by marking a spot "with a pen" on some people's eardrum, and they then discovered that this marked area starting moving outwards to the sides of the ear canal and then over time made it's way outwards up the ear canal to end up as a spot on your earlobe! So basically your skin grows from the inside out in your ear to help drive out wax & debris. Obviously that's a slow process, but it is a thing. Cotton earbuds are the worse, they're just gonna push the wax in deeper, making it more likely to form a plug, plus it's working against our natural conveyor belt I mentioned.

I've had my ears professionally "syringed" a couple of times, and the clarity of hearing immediately afterwards was amazing! So yeah, wax & blocked ears are not our friends. (Although I'm sure some wax is good, as it almost certainly has some function, maybe to collect debris or to physically protect & look after the skin of the ear canal.....no idea just my thoughts).

I've had mine 'syringed' too. I use IEMs a lot which tend to work against this natural process. Just an occasional brief peroxide soak-and-drain works for me, but you can buy a setup on Amazon which looks like basically the same thing they use at the doctor for about the cost of my insurance co-pay and then DIY when you need to. For me every 10-14 days seems about right; I probablty would need it less often if not for the IEMs.

 

[Aperiodic]

Hi All,

Just to share the following tweak that should also work with headphone cables:

I prepared the following experiment to improve the sound of my system by adapting interlinks like described below.
The difference I hear is incredible.
So much more juicy and sweat the sound, like never before.
Pity I cannot do measurements since I do not own the proper equipment.

View attachment 124164

Interlink Update :
Take 2 Pink Lady or Elstar apples and use a tool called “appelboor” or “apple corer” to remove the core.
Feed both cables trough their own apple and connect it to your system.

Enjoy the music,

Thanks,
Stokdoof,

This didn't cause channel balance issues because of the different sized apples?

 

[Stokdoof]

This didn't cause channel balance issues because of the different sized apples?

No I carefully matched the apples by listening.

 

[Robbo99999]

I've had mine 'syringed' too. I use IEMs a lot which tend to work against this natural process. Just an occasional brief peroxide soak-and-drain works for me, but you can buy a setup on Amazon which looks like basically the same thing they use at the doctor for about the cost of my insurance co-pay and then DIY when you need to. For me every 10-14 days seems about right; I probablty would need it less often if not for the IEMs.

Every 2 weeks seems quite a lot to me, but I suppose as long as the process is gentle then it doesn't cause any damage. I totally understand the IEM thing though, and that pushing your wax back in, I'm pleased I seemed to have defaulted to buying over ear headphones, haven't ever thought about buying IEM's.

 

[roog]

Hi All,

Just to share the following tweak that should also work with headphone cables:

I prepared the following experiment to improve the sound of my system by adapting interlinks like described below.
The difference I hear is incredible.
So much more juicy and sweat the sound, like never before.
Pity I cannot do measurements since I do not own the proper equipment.

View attachment 124164

Interlink Update :
Take 2 Pink Lady or Elstar apples and use a tool called “appelboor” or “apple corer” to remove the core.
Feed both cables trough their own apple and connect it to your system.

Enjoy the music,

Thanks,
Stokdoof,

Did you give time for those apples to ripen fully?

 

[Stokdoof]

Did you give time for those apples to ripen fully?

No straight from the supermarket and used the same day.

 

[roog]

Nooooooo! :0)

 

[MrPeabody]

Gene has a recent video where he has done LCR testing and also testing when powering his F328Be. I think he did measure a difference with a directional cable.

Of course nothing audible to note.

What I commented is that I would love to see a before/after LCR result of a Nordost cable before/after being used on their VIDAR machine, which is at their dealers and they state you should use at least once a year or after a period of non-use.
I think they charge ~$50.

Here is a comment I wrote a while back:

https://www.nordost.com/faqs-break-in.php

How long do my cables have to break in?
Normally, we recommend at least 168 hours. However, our Reference level cables require at least 336 hours.

What is the best way to break in my cables?
The best way to break in your cables is to have them burned in on the Nordost VIDAR machine by an Authorized Dealer. Most dealers will do this for a small charge and many offer this service when you buy your cables from them. This is another reason to buy your cable from an Authorized Nordost Dealer.

What happens during break in?
Considerable changes occur in the cable during the break in process. Any gases that were trapped between the insulation and the conductors during manufacturing are dissipated. Additionally, the insulation material charges up. The diode effects of the conductor will be more pronounced after 168 hours of break in. During this time the cable takes on a direction.

How long does break in last?
If the cable has not been used for more than one month, it will benefit from being broken in on the VIDAR. It is a good idea to bring your cables back to your local dealer every year and have them broken in again.

Good grief.

 

[SaltyCDogg]

Imagine coming back from a long holiday only to find your eye wateringly expensive cables have lost their directionality and the insulation has lost its charge and you have to take them back to the dealer again to set them straight. Doesn't bear thinking about!

 

[Aperiodic]

Every 2 weeks seems quite a lot to me, but I suppose as long as the process is gentle then it doesn't cause any damage. I totally understand the IEM thing though, and that pushing your wax back in, I'm pleased I seemed to have defaulted to buying over ear headphones, haven't ever thought about buying IEM's.

Probably every two weeks is about right for waxy ears like mine, for a minute or two is all. Not an irrigation, just a short soak. If you need to irrigate, you probably let it go too long.

 

[zajogungster]

Hi All,

Just to share the following tweak that should also work with headphone cables:

I prepared the following experiment to improve the sound of my system by adapting interlinks like described below.
The difference I hear is incredible.
So much more juicy and sweat the sound, like never before.
Pity I cannot do measurements since I do not own the proper equipment.

View attachment 124164

Interlink Update :
Take 2 Pink Lady or Elstar apples and use a tool called “appelboor” or “apple corer” to remove the core.
Feed both cables trough their own apple and connect it to your system.

Enjoy the music,

Thanks,
Stokdoof,

what variety is it ??? you my my more influence on (calvados) than on sound: D

 

[Maes Hughes]

Is it bad that Amir's video review made me want one of those cables? Soft, flexible, lightweight, and don't make the headphones worse. Anyone know if they have decent strain relief around the connectors?

 

[brbsnacks]

I understand people wanting a nice durable cable in different colors but good grief these dealers are worse than car salesman.

 

[Gekel]

Of course, all that glisters and all that ... thought I'd share a picture of a cheap 'gold-plated' connector I bought a long time ago:
View attachment 124051
Beware of 'gold-plating' that's little more than a coat of paint and will rub off after minimal use. Proper hard gold plating should last a long time, though a properly nickel-plated surface is just as good. Rhodium is just there for people who like to spend money.

This reminds me of an analog cable I bought on Aliexpress because I was curious to see what they deliver. First of all the cable with "Van den Hul" printed on it was a fake. Easy to spot because according to VdH they use Teflon as inner layer - which is white - while the inner core of that cable was grey. And then I had a closer look at the so called gold plated connectors and compared them with all the real golden stuff I have (including a small gold coin), and the color of the "gold" was to bright. I am pretty sure it's brass, but without destroying the good thing by dropping hydrochloric acid on it I cannot be sure. Gold doesn't react with HCl, brass does.

 

[chekhonte]

Of course, all that glisters and all that ... thought I'd share a picture of a cheap 'gold-plated' connector I bought a long time ago:
View attachment 124051
Beware of 'gold-plating' that's little more than a coat of paint and will rub off after minimal use. Proper hard gold plating should last a long time, though a properly nickel-plated surface is just as good. Rhodium is just there for people who like to spend money.

It's why the pros plate with nickel. It resists wear way better than gold and once you have bare undermetal showing, let the oxidation begin.

 

[Phos]

Regarding not sticking cotton buds in your ears, it's a risk I have to take as I haven't found any other way to get my ear canals to dry. The problem is that they tighten slightly at the, uh, mouth (for lack of a better term), meaning I need to use it pretty much daily. My right ear canal actually seems to occasionally function as a helmholtz resonator, I get a physical sensation in my ear canal from the sound a 991 GT3 makes near redline. I got a squeezy bulb that blows a bunch of air through them, but that left my ears ringing making me think that its damaging my hearing over time, all the little ear focused hair dryers are just ceramic resistors and don't really work, and that alcohol based stuff for swimmers feels like its trying to eat away the skin in there. So for me, the price of dry ears is eternal vigilance.

 

[yigitboy]

Hi All,

Just to share the following tweak that should also work with headphone cables:

I prepared the following experiment to improve the sound of my system by adapting interlinks like described below.
The difference I hear is incredible.
So much more juicy and sweat the sound, like never before.
Pity I cannot do measurements since I do not own the proper equipment.

View attachment 124164

Interlink Update :
Take 2 Pink Lady or Elstar apples and use a tool called “appelboor” or “apple corer” to remove the core.
Feed both cables trough their own apple and connect it to your system.

Enjoy the music,

Thanks,
Stokdoof,

I always tought the amp was guilty for juiceless sound. Now i am enlightened