I have only bought Arctic cables and can vouch for their quality as well as how easy Val is to work with.
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If your goal is to pick headphones that sound good / satisfy you then I don’t think this approach is reliable.
Partially agree. Given I can’t test any of these headphones in person first and I’m not in a financial position to buy all of the headphones, I have to gather as much information as I can and make an educated decision from there.
Then if it turns out there are aspects that don’t live up to my expectations but the headphone responds well to eq, and I can make the tweaks to get there, then that’s a lot cheaper than selling it and buying another headphone right?
Anyway, I feel that’s getting a bit off topic but the input so far has been good. Key points for when I’m looking to buy headphones, is it’s easier to eq mid/treble and don’t expect more than 3-4db
Well, no, that’s what I’m trying to say.
EQ can’t change the physical characteristics of the headphone and there’s more going on than just FR.
You can’t turn one headphone into another using eq.
I understand the difficulties of not being able to audition headphones. I think you are more likely to have success by identifying reliable reviewers who have similar tastes to your own.
And of course buying from a vendor that allows returns and (within reason) using that privilege is also an option.
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Can’t agree more.
Can be useful for bad recorded music too.
This point of view can change my approach, thank you for the hint.
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Apologies as I know this info is somewhere on the forums but I’m just hoping for a quick rec.
I’ve lost the left channel on my Wywire cable for the Focal Utopia. Gonna send it back for a repair, but first I have to know if the cable is the problem. I don’t have another cable with the LEMO connector to test the Utopia with … the stock cable also lost a channel, which led me to just go ahead and upgrade with the Wywire.
So, any tips for a cheap substitute cable (preferably 50 bucks or less) that won’t suck?
Thanks!
I have the Arctic Curprum cable that @mfadio linked to, which I use with my Stellia, and it’s very good.
If you want something a little cheaper, I recommend Hart, which is what I’m currently using with my RAD-0. You have to email Hart to tell them you have a RAD-0 and they’ll give you the right connecter. If you order RAD-0 and ZMF headphone connectors, along with an XLR amp connector (plus whatever other connectors you need for other amps or DAPs), you have a pretty good cable system that will work with your RAD-0 and VC, and any source. They use good quality components like Mogami wire.
I did borrow a Rosson balanced cable for about a week, and that was good too. The biggest difference vs the Hart (other than flexibility in connectors) was not audio-related, but how stiff the Rosson cable was, which was a little irritating, especially when trying to put the headphones away, because I couldn’t coil it properly.
Alternatively, if you like the cable you’re already using with your VC, you could buy a RAD-0 to mini-XLR adaptor. I’ve ordered one from Double Helix so I can use my VO silver cable. I haven’t received it yet - they take about a month to make these, so not something to buy if you need something in a hurry.
I see you’re using a THX AAA 789, but can I ask you what DAC you’re using? To make the most of your VC and RAD-0, I really recommend having a good DAC (I thought the Schiit Bifrost 2 was very musical, before I upgraded to the Yggy) and even explore upgrading your amp.
I’ve never heard a THX AAA 789, so I can’t speak from experience, but reading through the 789 thread, it appears that many owners replace it with something else, e.g. a Phonitor if you want a neutral sound, or if you want some of the class A solid state magic, then try a Rebel (there are a few 789 vs Rebel comparisons in the Rebel thread), Burson Soloist 3XP (I can vouch for how good this sounds with both planar and dynamic headphones) or HeadAmp GS-X Mini, amongst others. The ampsandsound Forge looks like an interesting tube amp that can handle planar and dynamic (I don’t own one, but I do own its big brother, the Nautilus).
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Just got back from a weekend helping my 93 year old parents. I think they need a lot of EQ. Perhaps that would work as a self-improvement program.
Oh man, could we please raise my dad’s input sensitivity?
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I have the Arctic Curprum cable that @mfadio linked to, which I use with my Stellia, and it’s very good.
If you want something a little cheaper, I recommend Hart , which is what I’m currently using with my RAD-0. You have to email Hart to tell them you have a RAD-0 and they’ll give you the right connecter. If you order RAD-0 and ZMF headphone connectors, along with an XLR amp connector (plus whatever other connectors you need for other amps or DAPs), you have a pretty good cable system that will work with your RAD-0 and VC, and any source. They use good quality components like Mogami wire.
Thanks for the detailed suggestions! I use Hart balanced cables with my HD600, and they’re pretty good (not as flexible as ZMF copper one on the VC, though). The adapter is an interesting idea, but I think I’ll stick with a custom cable for now. Cuprum is a bit outside my price range, so maybe I’ll see if Hart can make any that are better braided and less stiff.
I see you’re using a THX AAA 789, but can I ask you what DAC you’re using? To make the most of your VC and RAD-0, I really recommend having a good DAC (I thought the Schiit Bifrost 2 was very musical, before I upgraded to the Yggy) and even explore upgrading your amp.
I’ve never heard a THX AAA 789, so I can’t speak from experience, but reading through the 789 thread, it appears that many owners replace it with something else, e.g. a Phonitor if you want a neutral sound, or if you want some of the class A solid state magic, then try a Rebel (there are a few 789 vs Rebel comparisons in the Rebel thread), Burson Soloist 3XP (I can vouch for how good this sounds with both planar and dynamic headphones) or HeadAmp GS-X Mini, amongst others. The ampsandsound Forge looks like an interesting tube amp that can handle planar and dynamic (I don’t own one, but I do own its big brother, the Nautilus).
Funny you should suggest that! I do have a Bifrost 2, and I love how it sounds so far. As for the amp, I just purchased the Phonitor XE from @andris over on Buy / Sell. Both the RAD-0 and the amp should show up around Tuesday. Look forward to the pairing 
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Good choice! It’s been kind of fun to watch all the forum regulars stumble around saying “the 789 has dissappointed a lot of people”. It will be fun to see your impressions of the phoniter.
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Never bought from but have heard good things of Audiophile Ninja. Unfortunately will be a little more than 50 since the Lemo connectors are always an additional cost.
Wont be anything super fancy but will get you through and pricing is reasonable.
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789 hasn’t disappointed at all! I’ve owned it for years now and loved everything it does. Maybe I just don’t have enough I can compare it to to really get a full impression. And I’m not even sure I have the patience to sit there A/Bing the new amp for hours. But I’ll do what I can once I get the RAD-0 in as well.
Just to be sure, I have to stop all music output and turn the Phonitor off before unplugging the SE connector right?
Totally agree, but it only masks their problem or symptoms of poor audio, much like most over the counter meds do. Lol.
That’s hilarious, I meant to post a couple of days ago, and was going to say “a Phonitor if you want a neutral sound. In fact, maybe take a look at the Phonitor that @andris is selling at a great price”. So I felt bad for you when I saw that the amp had been. 
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Yeah, I was eyeing his post since the hour he posted it and finally decided to go for it. On the other ones you mentioned, the Burson Soloist 3x seems to have awesome reviews too and if I had missed out on this Phonitor, I may have sprung for that.
Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
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We’re in agreement with what you’ve said as I’m already doing that but that doesn’t contribute to my initial headphone advice question.
If I’m torn between buying two headphones, and someone happened to say “Headphones with XYZ properties respond great to eq’ing”, then that may sway me on my purchasing decision. I just don’t know what I don’t know yet.
Being in Australia, there’s only a few vendors that stock what I am interested in. They are all several hours away and have a 20-25% restocking fee + I’d need to pay for insurance & postage + time away from work returning them.
In my experience, EQing is not going to give you the experience of having 2 different headphones. It will give you an experience of a single headphone that can be slightly warmer / hotter / brighter / more mid-forward / etc. Different sets of cans present more than just their sound signature. It’s about weight, comfort, isolation, slam, timbre, detail retrieval, and more. So I would say base your purchasing decision more on those other aspects too.
A headphone that is great at EQing is a good option if you have specific preferences for tonality and want to nudge it in that direction.
I wasn’t intending to make them sound like two different headphones, the initial statement in my request was
Then I was going to equalise them to fine tune the sound to how I like
So we’re in agreement again, and that’s how I am I basing my purchasing decision but it’s not answering my initial question.
I’m happy for this to no longer be discussed. I got some good contributions from the first replies and I’ll go from there.