We’ll have to wait for the experts to reply but I think you are ok going from headphone balanced XLR to amp 1/4".
The L and R on the XLR go to L and R on the 1/4" and then both XLR grounds go to the 1/4" ground.
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I have been testing another cable from Hifi Hear:
Hifi Hear 16 core
The Hifi Hear 16 core cable comes neatly packed in a clear envelope, bound in a velcro cable tie. It has a fairly tight braid and an attractive alternating copper and silver colour. The 3.5 mm plug is metal with a carbon fibre effect, as are the 2-pin plugs and Y-split which has a chunky chin slider. (Balanced 2.5mm, 4.4mm and MMCX versions are also available). The silver-plated cable is very supple and the ear guides tightly curved but comfortable in use. The purity of the copper is not specified.
I tested the cable with three different earphones, the CCA CA16, BLON BL-05 and the TRN VX, which all have different signatures. The source used was an Xduoo X20 DAP.
The CCA CA16 has a neutral/balanced signature with a restrained treble (courtesy of no BA being placed in the nozzle) which is easy and relaxing to listen to. With the Hifi Hear cable the treble gained a little more presence and detail which helped the imaging and focus and produced an overall somewhat brighter tonality. The extra energy here also improved the soundstage. Additionally, there were gains in the sub-bass which carried more weight and power. The mids were largely unaffected.
The BLON BL-05 has a gentle V-shaped profile with a sub-bass emphasis, slightly recessed mids and a brightish treble with good detail. Fitted with the Hifi Hear cable, the mids became more forward with an increase in detail and delicacy and the soundstage became wider. Bass benefited from a little more focus, speed and definition. The treble was slightly brighter, resulting in a more balanced profile, with an overall bright tonality.
The TRN VX has a fast, accurate bass, clean mids and bright treble with excellent detail. Fitting the Hifi Hear cable seemed to smooth out the sound and endow the VX with a warmer timbre without losing detail or speed and the soundstage was widened. As with the CA16, the sub-bass gained extra weight and impact, while the overall sound profile was largely preserved. This was a very successful combination which addressed some of the concerns some have found with this IEM.
I have tested other Hifi Hear 16 core cables and have been impressed by the quality of construction and the sonic improvements on offer. I feel further increases in quality are available with this cable and it is possibly the best I have tried so far, bringing significant performance gains with a variety of earphones. Highly recommended.
This sample was provided for review by Sunny at Better Audio US via Amazon.com. Product link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B086JV826F/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Very very nice. Awesome write up. 
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I bought one of their cables, a 2.5mm Balanced Two Pin without the ear guides. It noticeably improved my ZS10 Pro IEMs sound signature, pulling the Mids up, easing the Treble and firming up the Bass. It was well worth the less than $20.
Mark Gosdin
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Your avatar is on my to watch list.
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Great writeup @Nimweth. Always like to see reviews of Cables.
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I just got 2 sets of “Skables” for my two best headphones–Verite Closed and Susvara–and they are amazing.
Before I go any further, let me preface the remainder of this post with a couple points:
First, I am not personally one to put a lot of stock in cables sounding different, so I’m not going to comment on potential sonic benefits. As long as cables are well made with tight-fitting connectors, I’ve yet to hear any differences that consistently rise above my threshold of doubt that other factors such as volume matching, listening memory, fatigue, placebo, etc. might be coloring my experiences. Over time I’ve simply accepted that whatever differences cables might make, they are lesser in magnitude than the differences due to basically everything else, and my time is better spent enjoying music than hunting for elusive cable sound differences.
Second, I own a lot of headphones and a lot of different cables, and these are the most expensive cables I’ve ever purchased. I bought them because I wanted to adorn my favorite headphones with the finest “jewelry” available, and to that end I could not be happier. Build quality and aesthetics are magnificent and feel well-suited to such pricy headphones as VC and Susvara.
–
The term “Skable” is a portmanteau of “cable” with the creator of these particular masterworks–a fellow who goes by the handle Skedra. He regularly hangs out in Zeos’s $10 Patreon chat, which is where I engaged him about making me a couple sets of cables. He also runs the Viking Audio Blog, which includes a contact form where I assume it’s possible to inquire about his cables.
Both of my cables use an attractive 8-core Viking weave. Skedra likes to package his best cables in wooden boxes. It happens these are a good match for a set of pirate-style treasure chests that I already own and included in my photos for dramatic effect. In any case, the Skable chests are destined to be proudly displayed alongside these other chests.
The copper cable is for my VC, while the silver cable is for Susvara. I tend to terminate most of my cables in 2.5mm balanced and use various super-short adapters to convert to other connector types, but for Susvara there’s no point–you need a small nuclear plant to power them, so I’ll never use them directly with my Astell & Kern DAPs. So for my Susvara cable I opted for a sturdy XLR connector and a couple of custom pigtails–one with a standard 1/4" SE jack for use with my Pendant, and one with spades for speaker amps.
Both of my cables are 2m in length to allow for ample room to move while working at my desk. I chose from 2 different shades of copper to find a closer match for the more reddish hue of the pins in my VCs. What doesn’t translate from pictures is how luxurious these cables feel. They are unbelievably supple and well-behaved, and they have enough weight to them to feel high quality without so much as to cause ergonomic issues or cable strain.
The weave itself is stunning–both perfectly visually appealing and perfectly functional. Extra cable coils nicely without complaint or jankiness, and every link is perfectly symmetrical. The copper is mesmerizingly shiny, and the silver even moreso.
For my VC cable I wanted my usual 2.5mm termination, but there was a problem–apparently black 2.5mm connectors are out of fashion this year (who knew?). I didn’t want silver / shiny connectors for my VC; I wanted something that would better match the black yoke / headband of my headphones. But what I got was even better.
After essentially striking out on finding high-quality black 2.5mm connectors, Skedra began experimenting with applying blueing to stainless connectors. He developed a unique finish combining blueing with some kind of copper application. I love that the connectors are unique, organic, and distressed, much like the stabilized wood of my VC earcups.
The earcup-side mini-XLRs were a challenge as well. Furutech makes a 4-pole connector with a black sleeve and a 3-pole connector with a stainless sleeve. For my headphone, I paid for both, and Skedra blued the stainless sleeve for use with the 4-pole innards. The end result makes for a nice accent for the earcups.
Finally, Skedra’s trademark splitter got the same custom blueing job as the connectors. Pictures don’t do justice to how the sunken bits are a subtle matte tone while the raised portions are a glossy buffed finish that reflects a muted rainbow of hues depending on the angle and surface.
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I said I wouldn’t get into SQ, but I can offer this much: I set out to listen to “a few songs” last night on the new cables, and that lasted 4 1/2 hours. It could just be VCs and Pendant doing their thing again, but the audio flowing through my cable was as beautiful as the cables themselves.
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Man, you never disappoint! Nice cables and nice pics.
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Thank you for the kind words! I figured since you mentioned me I may as well get an account here and say hello to everyone
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Really nice work! I’ll have to keep you in mind for sure.
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You make really beautiful cables sir.
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Alex @lost33 has inspired me to buy some things to satisfy my curiosity about how they sound, although I’ve probably taken on some things that Alex is not crazy enough to explore,
I bought a used Black Cat USB cable on US Audio Mart last week because I was curious about whether I could tell the difference between my $20 Schiit cable and a more expensive “audiophile” USB. There are a few USB cable makers that claim to isolate the noise in the power wire away from the data wires, and that seems to make more sense to me (although I’m very ignorant about electronics) than what metal was used for the wire. I was actually looking for a used Curious cable, which I believe @andris has, but couldn’t find any, so I bought this Black Cat cable instead.
I’ve A-B’d between the 2 USB cables a lot, sometimes switching every 5 minutes and sometimes listening to one for several hours and then switching. Someone else on the forum had suggested the latter and I have to say that immersion following by switching does highlight big differences very well.
There are huge differences that I can consistently hear every time. Going back and forth between the cables, the soundstage was noticeably bigger with the Black Cat, and instruments had more texture, which was great. However mids seemed recessed and I have to admit I so disappointed that it was messing with the sound that I was going to either throw it in the box where unused cables go to die, or maybe try to sell it to someone else (but feel guilty about cheating them).
All the A-B’ing had been done on my brand new Verite, and before I ended this disappointing experiment, I switched to my Stellia, at which point the the missing mids were back again, but the highs seemed to be extended, albeit in a smooth manner (not screeching treble, which I am allergic to). After reading through the Verite Open thread, I came to the conclusion that the Black Cat USB was somehow amplifying the recessed mids in the Verite that I hadn’t really noticed in my “fun listening”. But at least I wasn’t disappointed any more in the cable, because if the VO mids really do irritate me, I can start pad rolling!
Conclusions:
- There are differences in soundstage and whatever the audiophile term for “texture” is for instruments like guitars, violins, cellos etc. The Black Cat cable has more of both.
- I don’t know if the Black Cat cable is adding some kind of distortion to monkey with the sound, or if it is simply more transparent.
- Irrespective of whether or not it is technically better, I like the differences that the Black Cat introduces, and I will continue to use it. For instance, when I switched back to the Schiit cable after several hours on the Black Cat, the soundstage collapsed so much that the music sounded compressed. It’s all relative - I would not have described the music as compressed 2 weeks ago.
- I enjoyed listening to music before I bought the Black Cat, so I’m certainly not recommending that people spend huge amounts of money (the BC retails for $750 new) on something that may not provide any value to you. If you are curious, buy a used cable because they are a lot cheaper. And even then, I’d probably wait until you’ve gotten your DAC, amp and headphones to the level of enjoyment you’re after, because this is really icing on the cake.
OK, now you can all throw rocks at me.
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Do you have any ferrite collars around? It might be a fun/interesting experiment to put one or two on your stock cable and see if it makes any difference.
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Oh gosh what have i done, created another crazy audio monster!!!
Great on your experiences and thanks for sharing them!!
All that matters is what YOU hear!!
Keep experimenting!! Maybe a DIY amp???
Alex
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Haha, yes, my new year’s resolution will be to learn to solder!
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What a great idea. I don’t have any ferrite collars but if they’re cheap, maybe I’ll order some from Amazon. Or I wonder if I could pry one off a cable that came with a collar.
I should do a 3-way comparison between cheap Anker USB, Schiit USB and Black Cat, all with and without ferrite collars.
Take a look at the Noir at DIYAUDIO.COM
The DIY Store sells the kit, pcb, parts and case I believe…
Its out of stock but keep an eye on it when they come is they sell out fast!!
The Whammy is another great amp…a bit more complex to build.
The BH Crack also is a great Tube amp to build!
Alex
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Thanks Alex. Are you suggesting that I learn to solder by building an amp?
Is there a safer way for me to learn how to use a soldering iron?
Well, you need to get a soldering iron, solder 60/40, some small hand tools, cutters, needle nose pliers, a sponge and some real components to practice with…
Several practice kits out there
=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=practice+soldering+kit&qid=1604098899&sr=8-4-spons&tag=mh0b-20&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzN05XSEpVVEY4NVhYJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDcyNzE4M1JIM1hTQ1BFS01WUSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzM5MzQzMzBCS0s5NVE1Qk5INSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
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