Should I buy a fancy cable for my HD600 or just mod an original?

[RensG]

Well..the title says it all. I want a shorter cable for my HD600. 3 meters isn't good for anything in my opinion. I can buy a braided OCC/Silver fancy cable for mucho bucks, or just mod an original cable for about 25 euro's. Is it really wordt spending a lot of money for a fancy cable, or are the differences barely audible? Or does anybody have the ultimate tip for a good upgrade that doesn't break the bank? Yes, I went through a lot of threads on different fora, but that leaves me with only more questions.

Thanks!

 

[VintageFlanker]

I can buy a braided OCC/Silver fancy cable for mucho bucks

Beware where you buy this, because if it is from AliExpress or Amazon Marketplace, there're pretty high chances that it is fake OCC. Anyway...

Is it really wordt spending a lot of money for a fancy cable,

Nope.

or are the differences barely audible?

Not barely. Just no difference whatsoever.

Or does anybody have the ultimate tip for a good upgrade that doesn't break the bank?

Yep : EQ.

 

[staticV3]

Is it really wordt spending a lot of money for a fancy cable

It's not.

or are the differences barely audible?

There are no differences.

Or does anybody have the ultimate tip for a good upgrade that doesn't break the bank?

Use EQ. That's the biggest upgrade that you can do to your HD600.

 

[DVDdoug]

Headphone cables are probably the least critical than any other audio cable so you are very unlikely to damage audio quality unless you really foul it up.

And overall, most audio cables aren't critical except microphone and line level cables should be shielded, and speaker cables need to be heavy-gauge (low resistance) enough so you don't get (much) voltage loss. Resistance also depends on length so longer lengths may need heavier gauge wire.

 

[RensG]

Thanks guys. I suspected as much. I use my hd600’s for music production and I use Sonarworks to get a ‘linear’ response. But then…if the cable has the least impact on the sound. Should I better mod an original sennheiser cable (yes I can solder) or just buy a shorter chinese aftermarket cable?

 

[RensG]

Nevermind… I’m buying an original cable and I’m making two shorter cables out of it, one trs and one balanced.

 

[Berwhale]

Nevermind… I’m buying an original cable and I’m making two shorter cables out of it, one trs and one balanced.

I made a short 4.4mm balanced cable from an original Sennheiser 3m cable...

4-conductor headphone cable

+1 for reterminating an HD650 cable for use with other dual entry headphones. I've replaced the cables on my HD800 and Aeon 2 Closed with HD650 cables reterminated on the headphone end. Much more supple and less microphonic. The litz wire may be a bit a of a pain if you're new to it. You...

www.audiosciencereview.com

How are you going to make 2 cables out of one?

 

[DVDdoug]

How are you going to make 2 cables out of one?

I ASSUME he's going to buy connectors. I've done that a few times, especially if I wanted a "special" connector on one end. I only have to solder one end and I get a nice factory molded connector on the other end.

 

[Dunring]

I've bought several sets of each of these for the business and they're transparent and never had a failure/return after getting 4-5 of each one. The more you know about cables, the less you spend on them.

FAAEAL $16

Amazon.com

Saipomor $20

Amazon.com

 

[kemmler3D]

I've bought several sets of each of these for the business and they're transparent and never had a failure/return after getting 4-5 of each one. The more you know about cables, the less you spend on them.

FAAEAL $16

Amazon.com

Saipomor $20

Amazon.com

True story. This weekend I made some speaker cables with Amazon Basics 16ga copper and aluminum spade connectors from the hardware store that I attached with a hammer because I don't have a crimping tool. They sound great.

 

[RensG]

I've bought several sets of each of these for the business and they're transparent and never had a failure/return after getting 4-5 of each one. The more you know about cables, the less you spend on them.

FAAEAL $16

Amazon.com

Saipomor $20

Amazon.com

I might just try that!

 

[Spokis1952]

You could go for a fancy cable, but honestly, modding the original could work just fine and save you some bucks. Fancy cables might not make a huge sound diff, so saving cash with a mod could be a good call. There might be some cool upgrade tricks without splurging loads—maybe check what others have tried without breaking the bank. Forums can be a maze of info, right

 

[JSmith]

I want a shorter cable for my HD600. 3 meters isn't good for anything in my opinion.

Various lengths here, cheap;

8 Core Balanced Earphone Cable For Sennheiser HD580 HD600 HD650 HDxxx HD660S 6XX | eBay

This is Silver Plated+OCC wire Cord. 3.5mm 4 Pole balanced. 2.5mm 4 Pole balanced. For the Player side we have : 3.5mm 3 Pole Plug. XLR 4 Pole Male. XLR 4 Pole Female. Dual XLR 3 Pole Male. Dual XLR 3 Pole Female .

www.ebay.com

JSmith

 

[RensG]

I took the plunge and ordered this:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMLzOtK

 

[VintageFlanker]

I took the plunge and ordered this:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMLzOtK

7N OCC? Wow, that's serious.

 

[Berwhale]

I ASSUME he's going to buy connectors. I've done that a few times, especially if I wanted a "special" connector on one end. I only have to solder one end and I get a nice factory molded connector on the other end.

I know you can buy 2 pin plugs that are compatible with the Sennheiser earcups, but what about the little bit of plastic that stops the cable separating!?

Also, the original 3m Sennheiser cables are only £8.31 ($10.50) on Amazon UK at the moment (not much more than the cost of a pair of 2 pin plugs)...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0028PGXRE