Drop TRRS 2.5mm Headphone Cable for Sennheiser Discussions | Drop

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Drop TRRS 2.5mm Headphone Cable for Sennheiser

Audiophile

FULL DISCUSSION

MarkF786

Jan 3, 2020

The stock HD-650 cable is $10.99 from Sennheiser. I'd make an impulse purchase of a Drop 2.5mm cable for $30, even without strongly needing it, but at $50 I'll pass. Considering Drop was made famous by providing good deals, this price is absurd.

Jan 3, 2020

Kevin

5434

Outreach

Jan 4, 2020

MarkF786The $10.99 cable isn't a balanced one. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a balanced HD650 cable on the market for much less than $50. Here's an independent discussion talking about HD6XX balanced cable options: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/affordable-balanced-cable-for-sennheiser-6xx-650-headphones.786534/ (it's admittedly a little old)

Jan 4, 2020

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Muscle_Cow

928

Jan 4, 2020

KevinI spontaneously grabbed a New Fantasia one last month and its now $43.70 after 5% coupon and it doesn't need the extra $20 for the 2.5 to XLR adapter (total of $70, or $26.30 more for Drop cable).. Though i am going to replace it with a Hart Audio cable along with the rest of my cables. https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Balanced-Compatible-Sennheiser-Headphones/dp/B07Z4M1BM9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=newfantasia+balanced+sennheiser&qid=1578123409&sr=8-1 I mean, $50 for a balanced cable is reasonable, but this one in particular looks like it uses very basic and minimalist materials... maybe if it was similar to a Periapt or Hart Audio Cable design, more people would buy it... and in saying that, those cables are about the same cost or even less with the XLR added and are also much nicer :) $55 for the Hart Audio cable with the XLR Interconnect added, $15 less. There is definitely room for improvement here I think - maybe the $50 should include the 2.5 to XLR adapter instead of charging extra for it. Not trying to be a Negative Nancy here but, the cable and it's asking price isn't really that attractive - I know from experience that there is huge gross margins to be made on cables, so reducing the price a little would probably yield you guys a lot more sales and profits long term.

Jan 4, 2020

Fayne

2586

Jan 4, 2020

KevinThe components required to make high quality balanced cables are incredibly cheap. Like, let me scrounge around in the couch cheap. If I can whip em up for myself in 20-45 minutes a piece (depending on state of intoxication and distraction) at a cost of ~$10-15 (not counting what my personal time costs, which are non-trivial) while using Neutrik XLR and silver plated ofc/occ wire (or Mogami Neglex Quad, as an example), without access to bulk prices, I don't see why Drop has to perpetuate the whole 'cable must be expensive' thing. Especially with the access to bulk supplies and cheap foreign manufacturing labor it has available to it. Here are a couple of examples with XLR4 termination. Materials are the aforementioned Neutrik XLR4 (sourced from mouser), generic HD650 connectors (sourced from ebay, and these are the ugly ones), 26ga silver plated wire (also sourced from ebay), Paracord (sourced from ebay, shoulda bought the variety without core; oops), and shrink tube both with and without glue (sourced from amazon a long time before making these cables). They're ugly and rough (looking, not feeling), but they function just as well as the cables I have purchased (Fanmusic, NewFantasia, Venture, etc.).

(Edited)

Jan 4, 2020

Kevin

5434

Outreach

Jan 4, 2020

Muscle_CowUseful feedback that I'll pass on to the product team. I'm not terribly well versed in the market for cables so I can't competently discuss the differences, I just know that comparing this to a $10 cable is not apples-to-apples.

Jan 4, 2020

Muscle_Cow

928

Jan 4, 2020

FayneNot a bad looking cable at all for self made! And hot damn man, that's a lot of tubes that you are sitting on! :o @Kevin for sure, the $10 cable is not balanced and I wouldn't expect you to sell a balanced cable for $10 as the profits would be minimal making it almost not worth it... If you want a visual to send to your product team for comparison, here are links to the Hart Audio Cables that are probably some of the best offerings on that market that I have seen today. All their cables terminate into a 4-pin mini XLR which can be swapped between their interconnects - makes for a very convenient system with multiple cable types. Cable portion for Sennheiser: https://hartaudiocables.com/collections/headphone-cables/products/hc-5-dual-senn ($37) Interconnect for XLR: https://hartaudiocables.com/collections/interconnects/products/ic-3-4-pin-xlr ($18) Interconnect for TRRS 2.5mm: https://hartaudiocables.com/collections/interconnects/products/ic-4-2-5mm-trrs ($12)

Jan 4, 2020

MarkF786

Jan 4, 2020

Kevin @Kevin, more my point is the cost of parts and manufacturing is not much different than for the stock Sennheiser cable, so if Sennheiser can sell their cable for $10.99, I don't see why Drop's should be five times more expensive (esp considering their focus is on providing good deals, not boutique markups). On the other hand, Sennheiser's 4.4mm cable is $250, a worse absurdity. They probably figured they'd jump on the bandwagon of ridiculous markups on cables, since again it wouldn't cost them much more to make than the $10.99 cable.

Jan 4, 2020

bfitz

671

Jan 4, 2020

FayneHaving made a few cables myself,and in the works of another I totally agree. Biggest cost is time. That being said, it is very easy to make a cable cost more than the headphones, furutech ft-2ps for headphone connection( these cost as much as Drops entire cable), Eidolic Peerless XLR and a aluminum split from Eidolic or Viablue... We are already at most of the cost of the 58X and we have not even taken into account wire and Paracord. So when buying a custom cable a lot of the cost is the parts chosen, or what is offered. But at this point you are paying for luxury... There is none of that here, at this price I would at the very least expect Furutech connections on both ends and a soft sleeve on the cable. * Also nice cables, I like that flat braid👍

(Edited)

Jan 4, 2020

KittySneeze

Jan 4, 2020

MarkF786I own several balanced cables for my HD660s, and have found $50 to be comparable with some of the cheapest domestic offerings — even the Chinese brands on Amazon (Sukira, New Fantasia, Geekria, KK Cable etc.) all sell this cable for exactly $50. So, I would say Drop did a good job researching the market price for this item when setting it at the same amount. Likewise, the 2-pin connector is proprietary to Sennheiser, and therefore the costs to legitimately acquire them for resale is higher than other balanced cables. Ultimately, if you are OK with knock-off connectors from cables sold on Ali Express—similar cables can be had for about $25. I have bought several of these in the past and find they usually last a few months before losing adequate contact to the headphone jack or intermittent connection from poor soldering. That all said, my biggest gripe with this product is the lack of information on connector brand and wire type. If they intend to compete with cheaper amazon offerings, they need to provide this basic information so people are better informed on what differentiates this product from those found from China.

(Edited)

Jan 4, 2020

Fayne

2586

Jan 4, 2020

KittySneezeThe real problem is that the only difference between the cable that ships with the cans and this (aside from minor looks) is the TRRS. The prices for TRRS 2.5mm connectors are usually in parity or just a few cents more than TRS 3.5mm. Does the cable that comes with the HD58x or HD6xx have a consumer value of around $50? I bloody well hope not. Sennheiser first party TRS 3.5mm cables sell for $20-30. If this was a multi-gauge, silver-plated, and shielded thing and/or if the TRRS was one of the whizbang rhodium plated jobbies I could totally get behind the price. As it currently stands, anyone with a soldering iron who wants a cable that looks and feels like a stock cable would be better off buying a Sennheiser first party cable, lopping off the TRS, and affixing their own TRRS.

Jan 4, 2020

bfitz

671

Jan 4, 2020

FayneEasily a 15-20 min job👍

Jan 4, 2020

bfitz

671

Jan 4, 2020

KittySneezeI would not consider the Furutech FT-2PS-F connectors "knock off". They are considered as the best connectors on the market. Like I stated earlier, anyone spending in the $50+ range for a cable should be expecting and IS buying luxury and quality components... This cable is at most $3.00 to produce bulk price. Do with that what you will

Jan 4, 2020

LuckyLuke575

561

Jan 4, 2020

MarkF786It's a total robbery. When they list stuff like this, one gets the impression that they think their customers are a bunch of idiots lol

Jan 4, 2020

LuckyLuke575

561

Jan 4, 2020

KevinSorry bud, but this isn't supermarket merchandising. A cable is all about the technical specs and material. Also looking at the comparatives to set the price of a very basic cable like this one is disingenuous and represents bad value for the customer. Seriously, just putting a 2.5mm termination on the stock cable and then listing it for 50 bucks is just such bad product management. Even the comparative product argument is bollocks; look at what's available for less than that on Amazon. Its an awesome sounding cable, and that silver wire is way better than the stock Sennheiser cable:

(Edited)

Jan 4, 2020

Aardvark2

Jan 6, 2020

MarkF786Massdrop had deals, Drop is here to nickle and dime you. Ordered HD 599’s off of Amazon for my girlfriend for Christmas and the thing came with 2 cables and a carrying case, “Drop” HD 6xx are still a deal compared to HD 650 retail but these silly cable prices are quite off putting.

Jan 6, 2020

LuckyLuke575

561

Jan 17, 2020

KevinThis is a laughing stock comment bud. Every time I come back to this thread and see this statement it causes a screw up in my mind.

Jan 17, 2020

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Zombie_X

Feb 8, 2020

KevinBut you can buy a 4 pin XLR for $5 and retrofit it onto the official Sennheiser cable. There you get a $15 balanced cable.

Feb 8, 2020

Kevin

5434

Outreach

Feb 8, 2020

Zombie_XI can go to the store and buy deli meats, bread and cheese for $0.80, or I can buy a sandwich for $5. I think it's great that you can make your own cables and encourage you to do so. For those who don't want to make their own balanced cable, this is a solid option in a similar price bracket as other comparable cables.

Feb 8, 2020

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