Balanced interconnects for headphone system: Wireworld Platinum 8 or Transparent Ultra etc?

[LL21]

IanB - what headphones/amp are you listening to now?

 

[LL21]

With the HD800s I think you will have less treble ear fatigue with the Ultra and a more lush sound. On the other hand, the Prion 4 has more deep bass. The HP4 is a little on the warmer side, no? (haven't used one). That might complement a silver cable as well.

I sold my HD800s a couple years ago, but from memory the Prion 4 cable is actually heavier than those headphones. Ha!

Hi Ian B,

Given that I prefer to err on the side of less treble than too much...I am considering TA Ultra and Lazuli Reference (not the higher models which all have silver and by all the reviews sometimes are at risk of becoming too much detail).

Since it appears you have owned both, do you have any comments on how they compare? My sense of your earlier comments was that the Prion 4 was different from the Lazuli Ref but in your own words 'better (but different)'...therefore probably in a higher league. By association then with the Prior4...do you also feel the TA Ultra is also in that same higher league than the Lazuli Ref? (By the time you import, look at discounting, etc, the TA Ultra and Lazuli Ref may end up being the same price given the length I need where the TA does not proportionately increase in length as you go long.

Thank you for any guidance!!!

 

[LL21]

Ordered the TA Ultra Headphone cable...needing 25' means impedance issues however minor may start to affect bass response (which on the 800S is already a weakpoint). And TA are known for adjusting each cable for electrical/impedance based on equipment and length of cable. In this case, they dont do equipment matching having explained to me that they dont think its of material enough benefit to do so. However, they DO adjust for impedance differences relating to length of the cable so 2m should sound virtually identical to 7.5m.

We shall see!

 

[K3RMIT]

Ordered the TA Ultra Headphone cable...needing 25' means impedance issues however minor may start to affect bass response (which on the 800S is already a weakpoint). And TA are known for adjusting each cable for electrical/impedance based on equipment and length of cable. In this case, they dont do equipment matching having explained to me that they dont think its of material enough benefit to do so. However, they DO adjust for impedance differences relating to length of the cable so 2m should sound virtually identical to 7.5m.

We shall see!

Did they explain how this achieved ?

 

[dan31]

Hi LL21, I see the cable is more expensive than the headphone. Is that correct?

 

[LL21]

Hi. TA uses their network boxes apparently to adjust something inside...resistors, etc?...to adjust for length of all of their cables.

As for cost, the interesting thing that Franz Kuzma once told me was that TA are very expensive at ordinary lengths but actually even out very well as lengths get longer because their incremental costs dont go up that much.

In the case of many headphone cables, once you add up 7.5m worth, the cost of many cables (Lazuli, Prion 4, etc) end up way more than the cost of the headphone. The excellent Cardas Cross is still about half the cost of the headphone (at least at the price we paid).

 

[jfrech]

Ordered the TA Ultra Headphone cable...needing 25' means impedance issues however minor may start to affect bass response (which on the 800S is already a weakpoint). And TA are known for adjusting each cable for electrical/impedance based on equipment and length of cable. In this case, they dont do equipment matching having explained to me that they dont think its of material enough benefit to do so. However, they DO adjust for impedance differences relating to length of the cable so 2m should sound virtually identical to 7.5m.

We shall see!

Curious what you think ! Please post ....

 

[LL21]

Hey Jfrech,

For sure! Normally, delivery is 1-2 weeks but given the state of the world, TA said they are quoting 3-4 weeks (which irritates their innate commitment to speed/service they said)...but that is the safest time estimate they said they can make today. Cables (particularly this length) are made to order.

 

[Ian B]

Hi Ian B,

Given that I prefer to err on the side of less treble than too much...I am considering TA Ultra and Lazuli Reference (not the higher models which all have silver and by all the reviews sometimes are at risk of becoming too much detail).

Since it appears you have owned both, do you have any comments on how they compare? My sense of your earlier comments was that the Prion 4 was different from the Lazuli Ref but in your own words 'better (but different)'...therefore probably in a higher league. By association then with the Prior4...do you also feel the TA Ultra is also in that same higher league than the Lazuli Ref? (By the time you import, look at discounting, etc, the TA Ultra and Lazuli Ref may end up being the same price given the length I need where the TA does not proportionately increase in length as you go long.

Thank you for any guidance!!!

Apologies for missing your post. I hope the TA is working well for you. I found the Lazuli reference sounded like a more refined version of the copper upgrade cables for my Meze Empyrean (my main headphone currently). It was very midrange focused, and at the time it was a little too much. The TA is easier on the ears, but my not as sharp and fast or extended. The Prion 4 has more resolution, width and extension, and the upper midrange is somewhat tamed. It is to a degree a matter of pairing with silver or copper, but the Prion 4 stands out as the better overall to me, and the TA Ultra is good in a unique way, more musical and smooth than typical copper cable.

 

[LL21]

Great stuff! Thank you for that...very helpful.