I have tried several aftermarket cables. I find the Cardas excellent with HD series. I have owned many Singlepower amps, and many other tube amps. I have compared stock with Cardas and other side by side on two headphones (HD600) differing only with cable. The Cardas is always superior, and not a bad value considering. I agree, used is the way to go. As for build quality, I find it remarkable anyone would think shoddy--this--I have rarely if ever heard complaints about--especially compared to the insanely poor and uncomfortable build of Grado line. I'll tell ya, audiophilia has more passionate, fight-to-death opinions than in all of East Jerusalem, many as insane. If you believe cables have a big impact--buy these for sure. I am passionate about this. Bye. Gotta run back home--to EJ.

Only works well on certain amps.

I have to disagree with the glowing reviews from the others, or at least add a qualification. Unless you find your sound brittle, sharp or dry, the Cardas may not be a positive addition to your sound. Don't just rely on the glowing reviews and the Cardas reputation. I can confirm from long hours of listening that if the amp doesn't have the right character (as described above), the stock cable can vastly outperform the Cardas. The copper in the Cardas is so warm that on my Singlepower tube amp and my Red Wine solid state amp (both warm amps) the Cardas made the music so dense that it lost its spacial character and detail.

If you want to try it, I suggest waiting for a used one on Head-Fi or at least getting a money-back trial. Use the Cardas exclusively for several weeks and give it 100+ hours to burn in, then plug the stock cable back in and listen to how it compares.

Similar Products Used:

Stock Cable, Zu Mobius

Build Quality
Material Quality

Openness, dynamic, detail, richness and fullness of sound.

Yeah right...

Cardas 4 Conductor, Golden Ratio, Constant Q, Crossfield, Pure Copper Litz
Sennheiser HD-650
Proj-Ject Head Box SE II

Wow.

Everything is better with these cables than the stock ones. The build quality is phenomenal; the jack is substantial and solid, the cable itself is weighty and yet flexible. I haven't even broken this cable in for longer than 40 minutes and I already like the sound. It's a more open, dynamic, rich, and detailed sound than the stock cable.

Transparency and realism.

None.

The Cardas Cable with the Sennheiser HD600 is a level above any other headphone.

Stock cable is lean and has glare in the tone body, plus glaze over the soundstage.

The Cardas eliminates these problems and is totally transparent.

Customer Service

Great. Had a 15' foot Cardas cable made into two 7.5 " Cardas cables

Similar Products Used:

A bunch including top Stax models

GREAT SOUND!!!!!!!!!

CRAP CABLES STILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did write a review for these head phones on audioreview, but it seems they have dumped their old reviews. Anyway to the point these head phones are great!

Bass, sound stage, highs and low's all top notch once they have been broken in.

BUT BE WARNED AS MANY ARE AWARE sennheiser have awful build quality, heh don't get me wrong they’re not as bad as sony... and here's why. As I’m writing this review my second yes second head phone cable for these headphones have just busted and I’m ticked off , I have owned hd 490's 590's and now the 650's.

When i first got these headphones I thought WOW sennheiser’s that have a decent headphone cable and build quality, now don't get me wrong the band and cups are much better than the other headphones I mentioned but the headphones cable is crap.

I treated these head phones like crystal glass, hanged them on a nice headphone bracket every day and never mistreated them. I am a heavy user of headphones as my work requires me to sit at a computer 9 hours or so a day and I enjoy music while I'm doing it.

So anyway when the first headphone cables went I was in denial, I thought hell must of been a dodgy one right? WRONG nope the cable is just crap build full stop.

But don't let my review deter you from buying these, they sound much better than beyur dynamic's and most rivals (sony doesn't count) so I will be replacing the cable because the sound quality is just too good (sigh) anyway rant over.

Summary: Sennheiser, Me and other’s have complained about your poor build quality for years thanks for listening :P

Customer Service

meh

Similar Products Used:

hd 490, 590

4 conducter design...everything

None

Saw this hadn't been reviewed so I figured I'd give it a shake...To begin this is a significant improvement over stock cable. There's a standard 1/4" phono plug that eliminates crosstalk and it's completely shielded. On the stock cable this is detachable--I guess for people plugging in to their comp's audio card or Ipod. The connection pin termination for the headphones themselves (I'm using Senn600's) are specifically designed with Sennheiser in mind and therefore provide a nice worry free, snug fit/installation. The sonic performance found through my cans using this cable are in a word, great and unmatched by other offerings. They are extremely revealing, but not to a fault like some other cables tend to be. I find that listening to many of my favorite recordings has become a much better experience with various staging and placement of instruments more clearly defined with fatigue greatly reduced. Violins and cellos sound like, well, violins and cellos and other stringed instruments character are clearly conveyed to the listener accurately. Simply put, this cable is a must for anyone demanding the best performance possible from their cans.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD-600, Creek OBH-11SE etc etc