They’re very good with the brise 4.4mm which is what I use now (wouldn’t suggest in your case since it doesn’t make as much sense cost wise), but I’ve got one from plussound that’s also very good (don’t remember which wire it uses though), same with lavricables grand
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For a relatively inexpensive cable that has IMO really good sound quality using good cardas cable is the gravedigger. Really like that with my th909 and I liked it better than the Oidio I used with my th900 as always ymmv.
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I didn’t even know cardas made a 4.4mm to xlr, cardas has good stuff, and can get great value on their produced used most of the time
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Tbh I’m using the xlr 4 pin termination but I’m sure you could request 4.4 mm
sorry if this needs to be moved to the cables thread
weil I couldnt find the 4.5mm to dual xlr y cable, nor the 4xlr to 4.5mm adapter on lavricabels or cardas cables and plussound. im sure they can custom build upon request but mmmm it would be nice if they had in stock to know the cost.
but I found this page, fog city audio that has a ton of items and uses mogami wire and neutrik connectors to all their products, except the cardas, they also sell cardas cables.
The headphone cables start around 120 for mogami/neutrik braided and 240 for cardas. They have a variety of cables for every headphone ever.
This is the 4xlr to 4.5mm adapter that I need
Heres the cable I need to connect the MK248 to the dac.
And finally the 4.5mm to 4.5mm cable for portable use with a dac/dap
What do you guys think, seems legit? I really like that every cable I need is budget (or cardas) and all of them are on the same webpage,
Off topic assorted budget cables talk:
I also really liked some of the lavricables for headphone cables, im between transparent link vs Morrow MA3 for RCA interconnects, and finally black magic digital AES EBU but it bothers me that 1m is the smallest size.
I believe @M0N has heard all of these, my biggest gripe is which rca interconnect is better for the price, because transparent cables link is less than half the cost of MA3 with copper harmony terminations. MA3 currently are 50% off with coupon BF4
Then theres also the DH Labs BL 1 series 2 which seem very nice both for RCA and for XLR interconnects.
Upgrading to great budget cables coming from chinese crappy cables or WBC is confusing, there are way too many options.
Oh, got the cables you were actually looking for mixed up. So in getting a 4 pin to 4.4mm I’d suggest you get an adapter from the same mfg for the headphone cable you use, and that’s a fairly common adapter
For the dual 3 pin to 4.4mm that’s something that also can be found in a decent number of places or by request, it would just depend on what specific cable you’d want to go for sound wise
What sort of sound are you looking to go for? The morrow is a pretty different sound than the transparent cables
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Honestly I dont know because I have a lot of headphones with different tuning needs
That being said I think a warmer cable would suit the exogal better, but if one was technically more proficient that would also be important.
Its going to be a 3 meter (10 feet) cable as well.
About the 428 dac cable
I am getting the mogami/neutrik 4.4 to dual xlr, that fog audio page really really convinced me in price and presentation
It’s not a bad idea, get better than bargain bin adapters for now, and then upgrade later on down the line when you know what changes you really want to make
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That being said transparent vs MA3 or even MA2, do you know which is warmer?
MA3/2 coupon wont last forever
And transparent link (is the second cheapest transparent) is cheaper than MA3 even with the discount
Easily the MA cables, they definitely lean more toward the warm spectrum
You say that, but it feels like they actually do lol. I don’t think I’ve ever seen their products not on sale
Yep, it’s fairly affordable for how more just well balanced it is. I don’t know if I’d call it impressive, but it’s a step above like mogami and associated but below something like the ma3 or midrange anticables and so on, fills a bit of a market void where the pretty nice rca start around 200-300 and the cheaper but good stuff is more around 50
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Well that sums it up perfectly
Ill try to get the ma3 unless I run out of my cable budget, then transparent
Now im actually thinking rather getting DHC bl series 2 instead, LOL.
Based on many reviews, Ive gotten the idea, the MK248 and 433 have very similar signature to the GSX mini but perfected it?
I wouldn’t say so, personally to me in both signature and presentation the gsx mini is more a wamer v whereas I’d consider the mk neutral slightly bright. I think they are both depth focused, both texture focused, I do think the mk focus more on punch than slam like the gsx, and I’d also say the gsx is largely more a macrodynamic focus whereas the mk is micro. I’d say that on a technical level I’d put the 428 at or above the mini, 433 a decent step above
I’ve not tried any DHC aside from their headphones, but I’d just be weary to not go for something similar in signature to like their prion or something because that’s going to potentially push things a bit too forward and lean
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Thanks again
Ive always been interested in the gsx mini, I like its divise nature, actually it kinda inspired me to get the 248; but none of the reviews I read described it like you, and I get your impressions.
OMFG as someone new to cable upgrades this is very overwhelming, in these case is silver coated OFC and the connectors seem generic.
I have like 20 tabs open with different stores and cables, thats the overwhelming part.
It’s an amp that I personally don’t like outside of some very specific headphone and dac synergy, but it’s also one that I feel like I have a hard time articulating why I didn’t like it either lol. I think I do like the mini more than the MK2, but not a fan of either, lived with the MK2 for awhile lol. I’d say it came down to being lackluster in microdynamics, and feeling pretty surface level. I think you need to pair it with an overly exaggerated dac (like a holo) and that actually helps it a bit, but I’d still rather have other options. But can be a good fit if you have the right dac and phones for it since used values have actually gotten decent. Don’t get me wrong I’d still take it over any topping/thx/anything like that, and still over something like a wells milo or associated, but would rather have something from vio, bryston, now schiit, and so on. So I don’t like it, but I can respect what is going for and understand why some do like it
This is both bad and good advice, but you really just need to jump in and see for yourself, it’s one of those where if it’s mostly entirely uncharted territory you either just need to go in and see what you ended up getting, or go with something that’s what you might perceive as a safe bet (either from your own experiences with something similar, or from someone you think your experiences align pretty closely with) even if it might not be the best perceived value
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I knew you disliked the gsx mini but the mk2 is kind of a surprise.
Anyway this is the first time I see an explanation on what you didnt like about it, and it was good enough even tho it was hard to explain. Mainly hard to find good sinergies and competing amps kinda better.
Ive also read a bunch of folks that claim by their gods the gsx mini is the holy grail, weird.
About the cables is just like you said, this is a journey ill have to take on my own so ill try to give it a fun spin instead of stressing over which the best options are.
All the Gilmore amps are tuned similarly, some people like it, some don’t.
I have yet to hear one I liked , but I can appreciate them for what they are.
It’s why you need to be careful about FOTM on various sites (including this one), once groups form around specific equipment, they become self selecting, anyone who disagrees gets shouted out and moves on. Vocal posters continue to trumpet them as the best ever.
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I think the folks who talk stax (specially at headfi) are the best example of what you just wrote.
Its cult like behaviour more or less.
Those guys are… something.
Today i mentioned the shangri la sr in a random forum because I was talking chifi being dominant out of nowhere stax guy who doesnt even own stax starts yapping the shangri la is shit and you get sr009s for 3500 and endgame and such.
No critical listening but just wanted to share I already love 433 with Utopia lol (Wavedream Signature, DHC Prion4S XLRs, Viking Weave SPC cable)
It’s so tiny it’s a perfect desk companion and clearly a good pairing, I’m sure I’ll find things to nitpick on later with more listening time.
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I dislike the MK2 more than the mini lol, and I had the MK2 for like a year
It is both a competition is more impressive + requires more specific synergy thing for me for sure, same with their stat amps
It’s worse with the Gilmore stax designs where it’s almost exclusively what you see, and any differing opinion is flat out wrong apparently
I more have an issue with the community around the stats + gilmore then the headamp dynamic amps though, people have gotten more reasonable there. Estat community is flat out gross and I never like talking about stats because of it