NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable Review – The Soft Parade
Pros — Smooth, soft, and supple; sturdy connectors; unusual silver-copper wire.
Cons — The 3.5 mm balanced version does not work with some single-ended outputs.
INTRODUCTION
This NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable comes with the NiceHCK NX7 Pro Mk3 earphone reviewed by us. But since it is also individually available, and because it is haptically and wire-wise so different from the usual budget fare, I decided to write a short characterization of it. Please note that I approach this from the aspect of jewelry effect and practicality of use only. I will not go into sonic details as these are likely vastly different for different earphones.
As a reviewers/analyst, I need to have a selection of eartips and cables as the stock accessories are frequently not working for me. Most of these cables cost between $10-15, but I recently treated myself to a $40 cable to check out differences.
In my experience, cables can make a sonic difference (to the stock cable), however the differences do not rely on price but rather on the cable materials, cable structure, the amplifier’s output impedance, load impedance, the earphone sensitivity, and many more parameters. We have more unknowns than equations to make universally valid statements sound. But as a simplistic first approach, we look at cable materials. According to the hypothesis, pure copper tames the signature whereas silver and silver-plated copper add perceived treble. This is likely not generally true, however it is a reasonable assumption to base our testing on – each earphone/cable combination has to be tested individually with different electronics and the results cannot be generalized. When talking on sonic differences between cables, these are not expressed in frequency response measurements: measurements with different cables are usually identical. What this tells us it that cables don’t change quantity (dBs) but quality. But inhowfar this quality change can be quantified and its exact causes be determined remains an enigma.
SPECIFICATIONS
Product Name: NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable
Conductor: 16 copper silver mixed
Purity: 99.997%
Conductor Core: 23AWG
Number of Cores: 14*16
Outer Diameter of Internal Single Core: 0.05mm
Single Outer Skin Diameter: 1mm
Internal Core Structure: SPC silver plated copper + OFC high purity copper
Outer Skin Material: PVC
Plug Types: straight 3.5 /2.5 /4.4mm
Connector: MMCX/0.78mm 2Pin/QDC 2Pin/NX7 2Pin
Splitter Material: pure copper plating
Tested at: $37-39
Purchase Link: Nice HCK Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
TECHNOLOGY
The technologies used in the NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable are the 16 cores and the silver-plated copper/OFC high purity copper mixed wire. Each of the 16 cores has 14 0.05 mm thick strands. NiceHCK does not specify the cable structure, however OFC copper refers to “oxygen-free copper”. OFC copper has a high conductivity and it is particularly resistant to corrosion, which can impact sound quality. 99.997% purity constitutes 4 N in my books. How this affects sound remains to be seen.
HAPTIC & BUILD
The NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable is particularly soft, smooth, and supple. Outer material is PVC and it appears to be dirt and grease resistant. It is actually very pleasant between the fingers. Plug, splitter/chin slider, and connectors are all made of heavy metal with a polished surface. They are heavy and solid. The regular 2-pin and QDC 2-pin versions I tested were sturdy but I would generally recommend the regular 2-pin. Both fit snug on the earpieces I tried them out with. As pictures tell more than 1000 words, here some technical photography of the cable’s key features.
COMFORT
No problems in this department. The memory wire fits snug around the ears without exerting pressure. The softness and pliability make the cable particularly comfortable against the skin and the chin slider holds everything nicely in place. Weight is middle of the pack as the headphone jack, splitter, and chin slider are pretty solid.
NOISE TRANSMISSION
There is zero microphonics. As we like it.
COMPATIBILITY
The NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable comes with a variety of connectors to fit any conventional earphone shells: MMCX/0.78mm 2Pin/QDC 2Pin. You can also choose the plug: 3.5 /2.5 /4.4mm. I advise against the QDC 2 pin as it limits connectivity, a regular 0.78 mm 2 pin connects to more earphones. I also warn from getting the 3.5 mm balanced version as such a standard does not exist (with a very few exceptions) and this connector does not work with all single-ended output. For example, the Audioquest Dragonfly Black and the Earmen Sparrow both produced only sound in one channel. But it worked fine with the 3.5 mm output of my iPhone SE (1st generation) or my MacBook Air’s output.
JEWELRY EFFECT/LOOKS
The NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable is more on the flashy side with its shiny speckled cable skin and shiny metal connectors. Its visuals cannot be missed.
SOUND?
I had mentioned above that no general definite statements can be made about sound. Any cable may have different sonic effects with different setups. But one thing for sure is that sound quality is not related to price. In fact, you always have to try different cables wth each setups for optimal sound.
I had expressed my informed opinion on cable sound differences in my recent NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable review [HERE]. My main points are summarized as follows:
- Cables can make a sonic difference, mainly with multi-driver earphones
- This difference possibly relates to impedance, wire material, and wire structure
- Impedance differences may in some cases be large enough to result in different sound volumes and can also alter the earphone’s frequency response; such changes in the frequency response can be calculated
- Cables may not make any difference with some earphones
- Listeners often mistake volume increase due to lower impedance for sonic improvement
- The sonic differences between cables are largely independent of price
- If sonic differences between cables exist, they are not universally valid but only relate to that particular earphone and the cables used in that particular comparison
- Eartips are the cheaper alternative to achieve a different sound
- Expensive upgrade cables may sound worse with your favourite earphone than stock cable
- One may be better off spending the upgrade cable’s price on better earphones
Value
Hard to assess as cable pricing is all over the place and as the exact interior is not revealed. But in terms of haptic, this cable and its connectors are clearly a good step up from the usual $10-15 fare I have in my collection.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cable is a well-made, good looking cable with a somewhat cryptic, however interesting mixed silver-copper wire inside. This kind could be one of a few budget cables in your collection, together with a silver one, a silver-plated copper one, an occ copper one, and a pure copper one. Now you are ready to test your earphones without breaking the bank. Have fun!
Until next time…keep on listening!
DISCLAIMER
Complicated. I received two NICEHCK C16-5 16 Core Copper Silver Mixed Earphone Cables. The first came unsolicited with the NiceHCK NX7 Pro Mk3 review unit – but it was the wrong connector (balanced 3.5 mm plug). I then received a balanced 2.5 mm cable upon request. And I thank Jim NiceHCK for that. As to my review above, I was never asked to write one, I just thought it would be a good idea as this cable is so much different from the usual budget fare.
Get it from NiceHCK Audio Store
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