Seeing that there is a lot of controversy about IEM cables among enthusiasts, some people think that the material of the cable has little effect on the sound effect, and some people think that a good sound cannot be separated from the expensive IEM cables. What do you think? Of course we want the perfect fit, the perfect seal, the perfect synergy between the cable and IEMs. we have brought this guide as your one-stop solution for IEM cable rolling. So without any further ado, let’s begin!
Do IEM Cables Make a Difference in Sound?
The headphone cable is nothing more than a few parts: conductors, plugs, other shielding and packaging materials, and the most important thing that affects the sound is the conductors and plugs, especially the conductors, with different materials, purity differences, metal ratios The difference will have a significant impact on the sound.
Different Cable Material Types
Pure Copper cables(Widely available).
Silver-Plated Copper cables(Widely available).
Hybrid cables(SPC+Pure Copper or other combinations, usually available easily).
Pure-Silver cables(With premium IEMs/Headphones or Premium cables).
Gold-plated Cables(High-end aftermarket cables only)
3 Kinds of Metal Wire Sound Effect Comparison
Features:The sound ray is detailed and the distortion is low. Compared with the oxygen-free copper material, the sound quality is more transparent and clean, and the frequency band extension is also better.
Reason:Using high-purity oxygen-free copper as the base material, the purity is usually above 6N (9.9999%). Because of the special heat treatment in the casting process, single-crystalline conductors can be obtained. When the signal is transmitted, there is no need to penetrate the crystal grains. The r grain boundary between the crystal grains makes the signal easier to penetrate and conduct, so the distortion is extremely low. In addition, the impedance of OCC single crystal copper is lower than that of ordinary oxygen-free copper, and the signal transmission is smoother; because the OCC itself It is a casting method. There are also several large factories on the market that are famous for producing OCC wires. The most well-known ones are PC-OCC produced by Furukawa Electric Industry in Japan and UP-OCC produced in Bandung, Taiwan.
Features:The characteristics of silver are brought to the extreme, and the tone is gorgeous and extended.
Reason:Single crystal silver can be said to have all the advantages of silver in one: the sound bottom is extremely pure, the tone is extremely gorgeous, delicate and transparent, as long as it is matched properly and the port material is carefully selected, it can show extremely amazing sound quality. However, because the distortion of this material itself is extremely low, the entire headphone system must be well balanced, otherwise problems in a certain link or insufficient quality of the signal source will make these problems doubled.
Features:It has the delicate and transparent sound of silver lines, and the warmth and thickness of gold.
Reason:Gold-silver alloy wire can be said to be the material that best reflects “one plus one is greater than two”. The principle is to use silver wire as the base, and then mixed with a small amount of 24K gold to make it. This wire can show a gorgeous atmosphere and rich layers. It is the favorite of many players who pursue beautiful sound.
Well, the Comparison of Sound Effects of 3 Kinds of Metal IEM Cables is coming to an end, through these let you understand the basics of cable materials and the sound of the sound, we also really believe that these will help you choose a cable that is best for you, for any other questions or queries, feel free to write to us at support@wishaudio.com