Hart Audio Cables (thoughts)

General Headphone Discussion
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I recently ordered the dual 3.5 and multi-kit 6 in Shamrock Frost colorway from the Hart Audio’s custom shop to use with my Focal Clear og. The Multi kit 6 comes with 3.5 and 1/4 inch adapter, XLR, and 4.4. It contains everything I need for my setup. Thought about getting t the 2.5 at the same time, but I have no use for it currently. The price came out to $114 after shipping.

The order experience was a breeze, as Hannah was very quick to respond to my questions. I placed my order on a Friday morning, and she got back with a quote Friday afternoon. The order then shipped by the following Tuesday, and the package was delivered by Thursday. Altogether it took 6 days (two of which were on weekend days) from the order for the package to get to my house. Needless to say, I really liked the customer service, as was to be expected based on the interview of the owner (I forgot his name) on No Theme Reviews from a couple of years back. Hannah also was very responsive to my questions before and after the purchase.

As for the cable and interconnects, they work fine and they sound the exact same as the oem Focal cables, so the performance is as expected. I do think that the Hart cable is much more ergonomic and it is waaay more comfortable to use than the three Focal cables. I don’t notice the Hart cable’s presence when I’m wearing it. Isn’t that the point? I also love the interconnect system, and it is far and away the reason why I chose to order the cable through Hart. Overall, I am happy with my purchase.

That said, I have seen some recent comments on reddit that they are not impressed with the feel/finishing of the cable. And I think this merits a further discussion, as I can see where these posters are coming from. I will say that while I like the cable and interconnect system overall, as they fit what I need, I can see how others might have some issues with the feel/finishing of the cable, as there are aspects that very much feel like DIY. For example, there is a slight gap where the cable gets inserted into the mini XLR. The diameter of the casing for the cable also feels like it is somewhat larger than the inner cable, so you can feel some sag. In addition, while the 3.5 and XLR interconnects fit snuggly to the interconnect system, the 4.4 one has some play (such that you can slide it back and forth slightly while connected). To me these are minor, non-deal-breaker issues, but I can see why others might feel differently.

Finally, I would like to discuss “value.” I recently saw Zeos Pantera screaming on a video that Hart should charge more for the cable, and I disagree with his take on this. (By the way, I think that guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about and just rambles on and on. I remember a video in which he brought up 2nd and 3rd harmonics, and it was apparent to me he doesn’t know what they are. Nor could he explain the concepts in a way that his audience can understand them. If you are going to hold yourself out there as a knowledgably person within the industry, shouldn’t you do your homework and try to articulate those concepts in a plain way to your audience? But I digress…)

Back to value. I think it is appropriately priced, because if I had to pay more, then the issues highlighted above would become more of deal-breaker issues for me. If I were to pay $150-200 for the cable and multi-kit, I would expect better attention to details. I think some could perceive cables from Periapt and Audiophile Ninja to have better finishing at around the same price point because they are thicker, but they don’t have the interconnect system. So the trade off is fair.

At bottom, I ordered from Hart because I like the company and the interconnect system. I would recommend buying from them.

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There you go, that sums up Hart Cables for a lot of people. Affordable with decent performance. There are enough $100/ft cable makes out there but very few Harts.

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I do have a couple pairs myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.
Sure they’re not quiet “audio jewellery” quality, but what I’d expect for the price. The modular system is genius, and it looks like the process of getting custom cables has improved considerably

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I love Hart cables, and have been using them for about 2 years now. Love the modular system and price. The cables are very decent quality, and very pliable, which is a big selling point for me. I hate cables that are stiff or have memory and try to coil back up. I can snake my Hart cables anywhere along my desk without issue. And they’re thin enough to fit under the slight gap in my keyboard, allowing me to maximize length from my amp at work (standing desk, I move around a lot). Sonically I hear no difference from any of my stock cable, so I’m happy. All in all they’re great options and deserve a look.

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I just ordered a set from Hart today. Or perhaps more than a set, as apparently the Rosson has some specific different wiring. Got that custom colored to match the Rosson’s so I can tell it from everything else. With the recent purchase of the Sabaj, I now have a balanced DAC/AMP (at least when I’m in the right place) and I figured I might as well get the balanced connectors for the Sennheisers also.

I like the modular idea, it’ll go a long way toward cable simplification. The only thing that I won’t have is modular for the eStats…. :wink:

A nice Penn State blue for everything but the Rosson. Frogspot Camo should work with that and will keep me from making inadvertent switches.

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Can you share more about your personal experience with cables from Periapt and Audiophile Ninja? The former is brought up fairly often, but I’ve only seen the latter when looking for Audio Technica cables on Etsy.

Speaking of attention to details, was this an unedited copy and paste from r/headphones? :wink:

Agreed, the modular system coupled with Hart’s customer service is why I do business with them. Being able to get another interconnect for less than some companies charge for an adapter is really helpful (I just wish I bought the multikit upfront versus piecemeal). Sure, I can get cables for cheaper from either other small businesses or from unknown sellers on Amazon, but none match what Hart delivers.

I’m still considering more expensive cables from other manufacturers, but not any time soon - a tube amp and a ZMF headphone are next on my list. Will I notice a difference with more expensive cables? Maybe. Will I notice a difference with different source equipment or headphones? I sure hope so.

Regards,
Vic

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haha. I got mine in Shamrock Frost for Michigan State colors.

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They both have websites, so you might want to check them out. But I think those cables perform identically as the Hart (san interconnect system), but they have “better” finishing. For example, they use heatshirnk, so that there is no gap where the cable gets inserted into the interconnect. They are also a bit thicker, which may be a positive for some who complain that the Hart cables are too thin.

Yes, you got me. Lol.

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A while back I converted a $35 Koss Porta Pro to the Hart system. In doing that, I learned exactly how the cables are put together. My take is that Hart’s method is far superior to heat shrink. Those little connectors have 3-4 interlocking and threaded pieces. While the cable exit hole is a large fixed diameter, it serves as a shock and over-bending absorber. Finally, Hart’s system can be disassembled for changes and repairs, while heat shrink must be cut off and destroyed. Heat shrink tubing is a very cheap and basic product.

In sum, I greatly prefer the Hart build.

Psychologically, yes, Hart’s cables feel very light. I use mine in compact and mobile scenarios so that’s a good thing. I also use my factory 3 meter cables for large and stationary setups. Hart cables may indeed be too lightweight for setups that will see heavy use or abuse.

Regarding Periapt, I’ve been on the fence but rejected them expressly because of that huge honking melted neck join. It’s too big and it’s also permanent. Hart uses high quality serviceable hardware. All of it is serviceable.

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Good point. Thank you for this perspective.

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I have heard mentions of this Hart Audio Cable but had never looked into what it was about. I am glad someone posted the pic. I used to custom make cables many years ago. I can say that I would have charged much more for making this cable for someone. This a pretty good value if it is constructed well.

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Have to give a shout-out for core Big 10 universities.

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To add to all the comments here, I too love the Hart Audio cables. I have 2 amps (ampsandsound Kenzie encore deluxe and a Hugo TT2). I just had someone I found on head-fi build me a switch box.

I have the 2 cables from the amps plugged into the back. My headphone cable plugs into the front. An A/B switch allows me to switch amps without haveing to unplug anything. It’s brilliant. I don’t have to unplug any cables from my headsets and I don’t have to unplug any cables from my amps.

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I bought the Multi Kit and cables from Hart for my Clears and HD6XX and I couldn’t be happier with the quality, value and customer service. The fact that everyone knows Hannah and her customer service is so good says alot about them as a company. Hannah even helped me figure out a cheaper way to do something (I was overcomplicating things). I love the fact that their system makes everything so simple as far as what outputs I can use use with all of my HPs. I’ve seen some very beautiful cables from other companies, and maybe I’ll treat myself when I get my TOTL HPs, but for right now they’ve got me as a customer for all of my cable needs.

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Here’s a good interview with James, the owner. Connecting with Hart Audio Cables - YouTube

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When it is super easy to get online and complain when a company goes wrong I wanted to take the time to compliment a company when they do RIGHT. More rare these days than I care to mention. Beyond the quality of the cable, which is a given, as these cables and interconnects are awesome quality, James the founder is a great guy. Goes above and beyond even when he does not have to and that means the world in this day of disposable customer care. The cable looks, feels and works just like a top tier cable at a fraction of the cost. Thanks James for what you and your team do at the price you offer. Well done. People need to know that you and the team are the real deal. Best of luck in 2023.

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Hart uses the same source materials as some manufacturers that charge multiples of their prices. James is very modest about his product line and avoids making special claims about cable properties. I’m very pleased with the connectors and feel. Have said so many times.

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Excellent company indeed, I bought it right when it first became a thing. I believe Zeos turned me onto it.

I believe it was cheaper when it first came out, think I had 10% off my order, got the full kit of plugs and 3.5 balanced cable. I honestly got no complaints and it was less than a 100

I had an issue with the 4.4 attachment and reached out to them, they send me another within two days of the response. Which to me is superior customer service.

Would highly recommend. Also with no intentions of starting a war, I don’t really believe in cables for many reasons. As one pointed out no matter how elegant or fancy geometry you get the cables don’t plug directly into the diaphragm. There’s some mid grade copper from the plugs to the drivers and unless you plan on changing that you won’t get most of the perceived benefits you may anticipate.

In addition, if you had a totl pair and there was a difference it would only be 5% or so improvement which is huge on diminishing returns vs some of the prices they charge. This would be if there’s any actual benefit what I would expect. Anything below that and you should assume even smaller margins

More so and probably even more debated, and could easily be tested is that cables provide a tone. A tone should be testable in frequency response. This tone in my opinion would be based on metallurgy more than anything else. Equally a dac, hpa, or speaker amp follow the same trend as headphones. There’s wires inside and they clearly aren’t going to be 100’s of dollars per foot.

I’ll agree that we may have not found every possible testing method or understanding of measurements of cables, but what we do have is clear evidence of degradation on poor design.

But these cables at this price and convenience factored in vs all the bs out there is phenomenal.

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My daughter asked me why all my headphones (9 pairs) had red cables. 'Nuff said.

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I love the Hart modular system. Here is a pic from a year ago. I have picked up more cables and extensions since then.

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