The players. "I think the Raal is too deep of a dive for us at this point. We would need to source a new wire design to properly support its needs. That goes a bit further than I want to venture right now for just one esoteric headphone model. Perhaps down the road an SR1a cable does look like an intriguing option. Let me propose that we send out these three cables:
Rob's 25mm long cryo-treated Plussound plugs solve the issue of custom-ordering Final's locking 'bayonet' plug from Japan. Without T collar, it's a normal 3.5mm connector. It just sits far deeper than a standard HifiMan-style 3.5mm before it makes contact. Rob's extended-tip version would work perfectly without the twist-lock feature.
"I have your cables scheduled to be built by our tech but we are waiting on a few parts. The Furutech FT-735(R) 3.5mm we want to use for the HifiMan cables are back ordered. I'll try to get an update on a time frame for these later today. I'm planning to spec the cable for your Final headphones with a gold-plated Furutech FP-704(G) 6.3mm to maintain tonal consistency with the Plussound extended tips. Our website still shows the Furutech FT-763(R) rhodium-plated TRS. That must be corrected. We plan on a makeover of our entire headphone cable section with nav updates and new images and models soon. As you have probably noticed, it's in need!
I'll be back at you on timing as soon as I hear from our Furutech distributor."
And that's how industrious brands with groomed customer service etiquette handle communications: upfront with clear expectation management. A+!
When Rob's small DHL parcel arrived less than two weeks later, it rocked a bright red sticker declaring loudly 'security cleared'. If you ship big and heavy, customs occasionally like to challenge the declared value. When you ship compact and lightweight, they seem to suspect… what, recreational candy? For years, San Diego was considered the methamphetamine capital of the US. Perhaps that warranted a sniffer dog or basic X-ray test? Nothing had been opened so clearly Rob's harmless set of three headfi noodles had passed muster. Al dente. Cleared!
As you see, our running dress-code theme continues. Silvery connectors with silver barrels meet silvery splitter, gold connectors with black barrels meet black splitter. Where certain Swiss and even UK firms include edible swag—chocolates to be precise—Rob had included a pen. Now I could properly sign this review. These cables aren't round but a slightly elongated oval or fat ribbon. That creates one axis along which they bend, another in which they don't. My 'al dente' note was on purpose. This build isn't as limpid as the braided Forza from Poland but still drapes nicely without any trend to twist. The leads from splitter to headphone are about a foot so plenty long to not snag on the chin. Unlike the longer sleeved end to the amp, the pigtails have a rubbery feel. Time to get into the San Diego atmosphere and catch some musical waves.
Dynamically stout. Firm and well-damped around the edges. Lively and vibrant, not dreamy or pastel. Those were my first impressions. They continued to impress as I worked my way through our domestic headfi stations. Unless wires color deliberately or sport odd electrical parameters meant for just specific applications, one doesn't expect drastic shifts. The bunch from California stayed true to that so introduced no tonal-balance flips though the low end was potent. That exercised the usual black or earthy effect as opposed to any voicing which lights up the highs to inject more white and with it a sense of extra air or sheen.
If anything stood out about these SoCal surfers, it was their dynamic exuberance and resultant boisterousness. With big headphones directly on ear so not exposed to sonic in-room detours, distance losses and uneven decay times across the bandwidth, it takes no big upticks on voltage swings to register. Similarly for Final's heavyweight all-metal Sonorous X. They're a kind of über Sennheiser HD800. They don't suffer the latter's bite but are otherwise similarly voiced. That makes them a quasi classic widebander. With the HPX-1se, none of their crisp edging and intense detail overstayed its welcome. This cable definitely didn't exaggerate the upper midrange like early Lowthers did so infamously.
Just so, the sound could be very intense. It was simply well damped, taut and muscular. It never got bloomy, soft or remotely fuzzy so was great fun on beat-centric fare like sundry Mercan Dede remixes or this jungle groove with Jai Uttal's twangy dotar floating above Geoffrey Gordon's frame drum, tablas, kanjira and assorted percussion plus synths from Tulku's 2002 Trancendence album.
We're back at dynamically vigorous, physically fit and never showing things from a top-down perspective. Key talking points were focus, power and solidity, not hyper resolution, inside-out illumination or subjective speed. To revisit our intro, the signature of this sound was definitely al dente, whole not stripped grain and cooked up in Southern Italy. That meant very light on the sauce but extra deep on flavor from a few quality very fresh ingredients. No (con)Fusion cuisine. Add impeccable build, quality connectors and a fair price. Rob Fritz's headphone cables are every bit as solid and commendable as his speaker and interconnect wires.
