Pros: Build Quality, Free Case, Great customer service, An upgrade in looks and feel, Great value overall
Cons: Not at this price
Price: $25 USD
Intro
Disclaimer: I purchased these cables from XINHS on Aliexpress with my own money at a slight discount in exchange for an honest review of my experience using these products. All thoughts and opinions written here are my own. Should you find yourself interested in a pair, you may purchase it here.
I chanced upon a little gem of a store on Aliexpress and took the opportunity to treat myself (and my IEMs) to a little upgrade of sorts – an 8-Core Pure Silver Cable. I had some stock cables that I wanted to swap out as I didn’t quite fancy their braid and feel. After all, a cable is a big part of the build of an IEM. I was also in search of a cable that had a 4.4mm balanced termination for use with my audio player as well as a desktop amplifier.
Build Quality
Build quality for this cable is way above expectations. The aesthetic is well thought out, with a mirror polish metal Y-split and plug. These go really well with the overall colour scheme of the cable and I think the pictures can speak for themselves. The braids feel nice in the hand and they are sufficiently tight. The cable overall is still very flexible and flowing. These won’t hold any kinks and since this is an 8-core cable with 4-strand braids above the Y-split, you don’t to worry about the individual cores coming loose.
The cherry on the cake is that every cable comes with a hard case that is roomy enough to store your IEMs and some accessories/adaptors together.
Performance
Comfort & Fit
The cable is not too stiff and the ear guides are not too stiff and sit nicely on the ear. The best part is you can request for your cable to come without them if you do not need/like those heat shrink guides.
Sound
Don’t expect me to rave about how these pure silver cables “awoke my earphones” or “unleashed an inner beast”. These silver cables are $25. If they could transform the sound of your IEMs, trust me, they won’t be 25 bucks. I’m sure these do have a certain impact on the sound of IEMs, but I do not think AB-ing this cable with the stock cable and trying to make up that ever so minute difference adds value. Not for the IEM (Audio Lokahi), I tested with at the very least.
Conclusion
One of the best parts of my purchase of this cable is my experience with the seller. He was very accommodating and entertains your specific requests, such as if you want a cable without the ear guides or a specific length since he claims that he personally oversees the production operations. Coupled with very reasonable prices, this is as good as it gets in the world of budget cable replacements.