I’m using the verite silver with my verite. Compared to the stock zmf cable, it sounds a bit more lively on the top end and seem to introduce a bit more clarity to the overall sound. With improved clarity, it seems there’s also and improvement in overall stage depth and layering. The stock cable sound a tad darker in comparison with my verite. The silver doesn’t really introduce any sort of coloration to the sound and with the improved clarity comes a cleaner presentation to the verite also transients sound a tad faster and slightly less rounded.
Overall I’m satisfied with this cable. Not really one for cables and this definitely isn’t a must buy for zmf owners but I do find it’s refinement over stock cable a welcome change and a good complement to the verite. Price at the upper limit of what I would pay for a cable upgrade but it does have great construction and it sounds good. Do consider this if you are looking for a cable at the $500 range.
All impressions are relative and in comparison with stock cables.
Hi @Leemore5745 it’s a real shame you’re unable to find a review of the cable you’re after. Have you tried Headfi or even Reddit. Another option would be to call Forza and chat about your requirements and ask for advice. They are great guy’s there and are always willing to help. I really hope you can come up with a satisfactory solution. Good luck.
Regarding adapters, whoever you buy the cable from should be able to make you adapters. I had my cables terminated in mini-xlr and then bought adapters (also known as ‘pigtails’) from mini-xlr to either the Focal or RAD-0 connector. These adapters are just very short lengths of cable. If they’re not listed on the company’s website, try emailing them and see if they’ll make them at a nominal cost. Both Arctic and Double Helix di this for me, and I believe Forza and Norne also do this.
Thanks for your reply. The Headfonia website has an ad that keeps overlaying
the left side of their page and obscuring the write-up. I don’t know how to
get rid of this hassle. I’ve seen it several times there in the past and so
have stopped going to Headfonia–too bad, it used to be a helpful place.
Anyway, I struggled to read the parts of their review that are visible and
finally think I got the gist of their message, that the Forza Hybrid is a
good cable. Anyway, thanks for the links.
Thanks too for the info on adapters. Also for your thoughts on copper +
silver…I’m convinced now that’s what I want.
I usually don’t care for silver cables, based on the sound (though now & then it works well). My preference is TOTL copper. In that connection, I can strongly recommend:
ForzaAudioWorks Noir HCP MKII: I have the 2M & 2.5M length balanced cables for ZMF/Audeze headphones. Excellent sound & physical qualities (pliable, comfortable, non-microphonic). Affordable, as these things go…
Norne Audio Drausk: I got mine with transparent coverings (not wrapped) which is rather striking in appearance. Everything I said about Forza cable applies here. The sound may be a tiny bit better (pretty hard to be sure). The price is 30%-40% higher, but worth it.
At one time I had the even more expensive Danacables Lazuli, which I can’t recommend. The sound was great, no problem there; but the cable was kind of a drag, physically–it tended to kink, wasn’t pliable, and was very microphonic.
I have a ZMF silver cable of some kind (have no idea what model name it is). It sounds quite good on certain amps w/my blackwood Aeolus/perforated suede universe pads.
Whats the turn around time for the ForzaAudioWorks cables? Do they have them usually in stock and ship shortly after? or are they made to order taking 5 to 6 weeks?
I got my first cable (the Noir HPC MkII) in about a week to 10 days, delivered by DHL here to Arizona. Ordered the Noir Hybrid just this weekend and have no feedback yet on its build or delivery. Looking at the FAW website just a few minutes ago, both of the Noir cables are shown as having 6-10 units in stock. From there, they have to add connectors and termination as well as the desired length. Overall, from what I’ve experienced or read, they deliver fairly quickly, in days or a couple of weeks.
In a related vein, I’m thinking of getting either a Noir HPC MkII or a Noir Hybrid for both my Focal Clear and MassDrop Ether CX. Haven’t been able to find much here at our forum or on the internet as to which cable might go best with those headphones. Any thoughts?
So i went ahead and picked up Forza AudioWorks Noir Hybrid hpc. I wanted to know if there was a difference between the silver and copper. The Forza may be slightly warmer than the Meze but they are so close to each other. That would make me gravitate towards the warmer of the two but like i said, it’s so close.
So, pros and cons. The Meze is 500 shipped, the Forza is 350 shipped. The Meze is very small, light, discrete and detailed. But the Forza has the same detail the Meze has. The Meze connectors to the ZMF headphones are really tight, it could be a better fit but you’ll never have to worry about them falling out. The Forza connectors at the headphone don’t lock but don’t fall out.
The Forza is bigger. It’s not overwhelming but i think it’s slightly heavier than the Meze. Neither cable has tangled on me so far. The splitter is quite bigger on the Forza. I have a glass top desk, so both cables clank on my desk (which is glass) but the Forza does it more but nether splitter interferes when your wearing it.
So, my thoughts, I’m torn between the two. I’ll listen to the Forza for a while more and let one go. I’ve already let the lektrik go. Again, kind of gravitating towards the Forza but they’re both good cables.
Great messages Roikyou. Especially that both have the same level of detail. And if the Forza is slightly warmer, then I too would prefer it (actually much prefer it) over the Meze. Personally, I also think the Forza is better looking. Plus, it being $150 less than the Meze is a fairly big deal too.
The only remaining consideration for me is this. Which cable do you think has the most weight…the fuller, heavier sound?
I’ve only done a little side by side so far, again, i think the detail is the same between the two but i think the Forza might have a slightly more mid or lower range, giving it that slightly warmer, slight added bass perception over the Meze.
My thoughts, if you walked away with either one, you’d never really remember any significant difference between the sound of the two. With the potentially warmer sound, I’m leaning towards the Forza also. The splitter and large cable sleeve wasn’t the top of my list at first but it’s growing on me. Not locking on the Forza kind of bugs me but the plugs sticking bugs me more on the Meze.
I just passed 200 hours on my Auteur today, all with the 2k copper cable from ZMF. Really sounds good/great.
Am waiting for the Noir Hybrid HPC I bought from Forza to arrive and looking forward to see how the addition of some silver in the cable changes the sound.
When that Noir Hybrid cable is broken in, I’ll be doing an A-B comparison of the Noir HPC MKII Copper and Noir Hybrid with my Auteur and Aeolus…to see which cable I like best with each headphone. Will let you know the results.
I was looking at the description of the Meze, it’s copper with silver plating. My point, being that it’s copper, it should or seemingly the sound would be close to the Forza which is probably why I couldn’t give either a great edge for one over the other. The Forza is still a better buy at the price point but I think they’re still equal cables. Here’s a description I grabbed from another site that basically recites what Meze has to say about they’re cable:
"This cable is manufactured using state-of-the-art Furukawa High-Purity Oxygen-Free Copper wire, plated with pure silver.
The Furukawa SILVER PLATED PCUHD Copper cable provides “a more resolute and detailed open sound” with “more cohesive and controlled” transients and “tighter and more controlled” bass. The sound is organic and lifelike in size and scope.
By combining a molding process that uses no heat resistant materials with post-processing free from hot extrusion or rolling processes, the product can be mass-produced in a way that excludes inclusions and impurities. While the product is a 4N grade material (copper purity 99.99%), it possesses high malleability and drawability that allows processing up to superfine wires.
Oxygen is one of the most common impurities in copper products. For this reason, no gas burners are used during the manufacturing processes and the insides of the equipment are filled with noble gases. Through these methods we have succeeded in controlling oxygen to 5ppm, which is below the standard required for oxygen-free copper."
Whereas as the Meze is silver “plated,” the Forza Hybrid cable is (per their website) “NOT silver plated (SPC), but true hybrid UPOCC silver/copper wire.” Don’t know technically what difference that makes to the sound, but Forza says their Noir Hybrid has “unsurpassed PRaT in comparison to other aftermarket cables.” Maybe that’s part of why, as you said, their cable sounds so good. But the Meze process and wire reads pretty good technically too.
