Meze Audio Mono 3.5mm to Balanced 4.4mm Silver-Plated Headphone Cable - 3.9ft.

This is my first entry to a quality cable for my headphones. Disclaimer, I might not be the best listener but I do own a few pairs of headphones as each has in uniquely character in audio representation and I do enjoy changing them out occasionally. Back to the cable, I ordered both cables, one with the brown translucent sleeve (have not tried it yet) and the ones in the photos. Though not much reviews here, but this cable do work with my Hifiman HE5SE. So those with the 3.5mm variant of Hifiman. It does work. It's with this cable I really do believe the cable makes a huge difference in the audio. I am running through the FiiO K3 which imo serves me really well and provide me a clean output without the need of a external power supply. The highs became more clearer, the lows are much more tighter with no distortion and the vocal been the sweets spot for me. The soundstage becomes more spatial with the imaging much more accurate. Initially I assume is just the volume "boost", but once I swtiched back to the stock cable that came with the headphones, those notes and tones I heard was not as "clear". Immediately I swapped back to the Meze cable and I could really tell the difference. The clarity is just so much better and it shows the headphones were actually held back by the cables. Like the cymbals could be held much better, the bass guitar slaps are so much more dynamic. Words really cannot describe, I used to purchase a cable that just work at a low cost and did not have much thought as I am someons who thinks that its just an electrical signal, what difference will it make? Not until now. If you own a hifiman that have the 3.5mm plugs for both earcups, this cable will definitely work, I tried on my 4XX as well and it's fully compatible, it's a major upgrade to me and an eye opener, will definitely replace my current cables with better quality ones from now on.

***------ TLDR ------*** When listening to music via the 4.4 mm balanced cable, you've been transported to the fifth row of the Royal Festival Hall, where John Williams is about to play the score of Star Wars for a private audience of one: you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***------ Full Review ------*** If you're like me, you've probably spent way too much time on the internet trying to make any sense out of the difference between headphone cables and their wide variability: Balanced vs. Unbalanced, Silver-Plated vs. Straight Copper, OFC standards, Core-Count (4/8/16), 2.5 mm vs 4.4 mm, and the list goes on and now my head hurts from having too many tabs open and not being able to keep track of all the information I've just ingested... If you're someone like that, this review should shed some proverbial light on the matter, and give you a better idea of what really matters in this cyclone of audio jargon. These cables take the 99s and elevate them from a $200 - $300 headphone to a $600 - $750 headphone. Everything is so clear, at any volume of music you listen to. The highs are more crisp and controlled, while the lows are more tight and not over-bearing. Now I know these characteristics are more related to the headphones themselves, but these cables accentuate those characteristics and add a layer of depth and liveliness to the 99s that the stock or more affordable balanced upgrade cables could ever dream of offering. I was fortunate to listen to both the 2.5 and 4.4 mm variants of this cable through my FIIO Q5s, and I can say with certainty that if you're using a DAP or portable DAC/AMP with a balanced 4.4 mm output, spend the extra $10 and grab yourself a pair of the 4.4 mm variants! While they are identical in construction, with the exception of one terminating in a 2.5 mm plug and the other terminating in a 4.4 mm plug, the 4.4 mm variant is to my ears a little cleaner, probably due to the larger surface area of the connector. All-in-all, this cable is a real treat to use, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get that extra oomph out of their 99s. The difference in audio quality while listening to music via the stock cable and this balanced beast can best be described as follows: When listening to music via the stock cable, you are made aware of the hardware on your head, and that you're sitting at your desk or on your couch at home. When listening to music via the 4.4 mm balanced cable, you've been transported to the fifth row of the Royal Festival Hall, where John Williams is about to play the score of Star Wars for a private audience of one: you.

You know, I once was skeptical about whether headphone cables could alter the sound of any given headphone. This cable wasn't the one that removed that skepticism... that happened quite a while back. However, I must say that this cable has what I would describe as some sort of witchery going on if I was living in the Medeival era. Here is why I say this. I own 6 different headphone cables, 3 of which are balanced. I prefer the clarity of balanced over single ended, so I will only compare this cable to my other 2 balanced cables. One is a cheap $25 cable Youkomou cable I got from Amazon. The other is the balanced XLR cable that came with my $3500 Hifiman HE1000SE headphones. These headphones took my world by storm btw. They simply created a wholehearted sense of sonic perfection for me. I hope you find the headphones that do that for you. Back to this cable. This cable is the least bright of the 3. The cheap one is the most bright. I am not sure if that is what causes it, but vocals with this cable sound exceptionally realistic, as if the signer is actually standing in the room with you, compared to the other two. Now, the Hifiman HE1000SE makes EVERY SONG sound realistic... as if it's being performed live, not recorded. But even so, with this cable in particular, vocals are simply too believable to be true. It's absolutely unreal. It feels like wizardry lol. That sounds stupid, I know. But it's really almost too clear and focused sounding to be true. Can't help you if you're looking for a different description. Note that with the Hifiman Ananda Stealth, this cable created a much more layered sense of depth than the other two, but they did not have that realistic "in the same room as you" live music feeling that the HE1000SE have with this cable. That is all to say that as many times as I have thought about the price of this cable and wished I had returned it before the return period ended, as soon as I go back and listen to it, and especially if comparing it to ANY other cable, I find myself simply unable to agree with my previous notion. They are a keeper and continue to create a living space in music that I have never heard before.

I have read reviews about this balanced silver plated cable and they were all positive. When I saw that it is available on Amazon, I jumped becos' of the lower shipping fees compared to others. The make quality of the cable is really excellent, really like what other reviewers had said. Soft, flexible and no bump sounds transmitted like a stethoscope to disturb the listening pleasure. The sound quality is really remarkably incredible! Again it is what other reviewers make it out to be. It is indeed the real deal. The sound stage is very open, the imaging is fantastic, the vocals and the musical instruments are very excellently rendered. I listen to slow, soft, rock, fast, pop and classical, they all passed the listening test with flying colours. Overall the musical presence is very mind blowing. The vocals' saliva, the bite on the instruments, and the low bass is controlled and deep with great refine definition. I feel like I just bought a totally new hi end headphones, but it is still my old Meze 99 Classic. There's a small note to other buyers however. Other reviewers had mentioned that this cable comes in a metal box and also a 2.5 - 3.5mm jack adaptor. But this cable comes in a cardboard box and no adaptor. None of those matters to me though. Also some reviewers mentioned the 4.4mm version sounds better, but I don't have any device with 4.4mm balance out, so can't comment. Two thumbsup for this cable. Very happy and satisfied. Thank you Meze for this wonderful upgrade! :-)

I purchased these to replace the stock cables for the Focal Stellia. The stock cable works fine and no issue with the sound. They do have a bit of microphonics. You hear the any bumps against the cable in the headset. I have this cable for 3.5mm SE, 2.5mm Balanced, and 4.4mm balanced (not tried yet). The cables have a good build. They're flexible. I also like the look of them. They do have reduced microphonics. I get microphonics from the headset to the Y-junction. After the Y-junction, nothing. The microphonics I do get is not obtrusive. They need to be hit pretty hard for it to be loud. I also like I can wrap them easier and take up a lot less space in the carrying case for the headphones. Sound-wise, this is way is too subjective. A lot depends on the source material and any amp or DAC. I did not notice any significant difference between the stock Focal cable and 3.5mm when connected directly to my cellphone or the FiiO BTR5. When I used a 2.5mm cable with BTR5, there was a little more clarity and volume compared to the 3.5mm cables, but that's most likely the amp/dac. My only critique really is I have trouble reading the R and L on the cables. The lettering font is white and thin and light silver background. It should have been something with more contrast such as black or thicker font. It does look nice though. For the Stellia, the connections a little short, so I'm grabbing by the jack and cable junction instead of the jack only. Slight concern about creating a short. I think they're a pretty good value for what they are. There are cheaper similar cables from many Chinese brands that you're most likely never heard about. They're a lot cheaper than any boutique cable brands that are out there, never mind if there is silver. I've seen some other brands that are a better value, per se, but they're modular. I look at all those connections as a place for signal degradation and another weak point in the cable.

OK, this ain't cheap as far as cables go, and I was sure that I'd return them due to buyers remorse. But once I had a listen, wow, I'm keeping them. I was so ready to be disappointed, but dang it, I actually like them. It's not even a "blind A/B Comparison" deal, it's an obvious hit you in the face difference. For those interested, I'm running the 4.4 balanced version from a Cayin N3Pro. The Cayin has itty bitty tubes, but the balanced output is solid state only. I thought I'd miss the tube sound, but this cable makes my Meze cans sound so good, I dont miss the tube output. I have ordered a Meze 4.4 to 3.5 adapter as I'm curious if the improvement is mostly the cable or the balanced output. I'll try to remember to report back.

I don't know what Meze was thinking when they released this in one length only as it is near enough completely useless for what in my mind would be a typical use case. I don't think people are buying 130 dollar magic pixie dust headphone cables that are only going to attach to proper super high end expensive cans in the range of a grand or more to stroll down the street and listen with a portable player. I mean I am sure a few exist but I'd venture to guess most people want a quality balanced cable to use with said expensive cans with a desktop DAC or sitting in the easy chair listening. Without the DAC being in their laps. I seriously caution anyone not using this with a portable player to buy something else. It really is that short, I honestly feel like I need to duct-tape my DAC and amp to my head to use this cable and I am just using a desktop amp at my PC. It's still to short not to be constantly in the way. Honest, if it was a foot or two longer it would be just about right. Short but not excessively so, only use case I can honestly and PRACTICALLY see for this is with a portable player in your pocket. All that being said it seems to be decent quality and is pretty, I can't say it sounds any better than the ehem 3m OFC 7n copper cable that came with my cans aside from this being balanced, which has its benefit. The silver and braiding is almost certainly pixie dust. Which makes me wonder why these companies don't just do proper SHIELDED low capacitance OFC balanced cables. The shielding would likely do more than the fancy braiding here probably. Litz braid is practically pointless at the frequencies we can hear as well. It does look pretty, like a silver chain. So it has that going for it.

I purchased this original cable to bring out more clarity to the Meze 99 Classic I own. This headphone is known as a pretty dark sounding headphone but with a fun sound. In order to bring the sound to a bit more balanced level I usually EQ out some bass and push the highs quite a lot. With this original cable the sound is clearer but not much. No need any more to EQ the bass and the highs only need EQ'ing a bit now. There are not much more details and this is of course the limitation to the headphone itself. This cable improves the Classic 99 only a bit. However, the quality of the cable is not very good, it works well, but feels flimsy and thin. There are dents in the cable that are not going away any more and it is very likely that this cable will break quite soon, even with care handling. Not worth the money, but more or less does its job.