Review of the Headgear Audio Litsa Silver Upgrade Cables
I ended up buying 3 of these cables, two 4W and one 8W version. Read on to know why.
I first got one 4W version of this cable and tested it with my Final A8000 and Sennheiser IE600 IEMs. These two IEMs are amongst my favorites as I think they both have their distinct sound signatures with extremely mature tunings that are reflective of the brands they come from. HiBy R8 is my DAP.
Result with the IE600: With its stock cable, the IE600 has a balanced, beautifully rounded, and musical sound that offers especially beautiful vocals accompanied by the perfect (for me) quantity and quality of bass and treble. The most noticeable change with this Headgear cable was how the IE600's sound tightened up across all the frequencies. The sound was immediately cleaner, clearer, and airier with much improved space between all the instruments. It’s as if someone had lifted off a thin blanket that was masking the sound. After listening to the IE600 with this Headgear cable, the stock cable felt like it sounded narrower and more intimate in comparison. I had never thought this till I heard my IE600 with the Headgear cable. Further, I now clearly heard even the most minor sounds and squeaks that I hadn't previously heard with the stock cable. The overall tonality also improved and became even more natural. It is hard to not notice the difference in the IE600’s sound with this cable.
Result with the Final A8000: I paired the A800 with this wire’s 8W version and the observations mentioned above apply here too. There is one important additional thing though and that is to do with the A8000’s treble. I always thought that out of the box, the A8000 had a fairly bright-ish tuning which sounded lean and peaky at times. With this 8W Headgear cable, these peaks and sibilance totally vanished. The details remained though. The result is an overall smoother sound that conveys details and emotions even more beautifully without the harsh peaks. In other words, this 8W cable made a majorly positive impact on the A8000’s treble. The bass also gained weight and presence. I’ve tried various cables (Cadmus, Eros S, Ares) with the A8000 and didn’t like them. With this cable though, things have definitely changed for the better! The A8000 gives out its most natural sound with this cable without sacrificing its trademark treble.
Result with the Audio Hekili and 4W Headgear cable: Here too the results were similar to the IE600 and A8000. The Hekili started sounding more natural and its sound gained good weight and body. It became more musical while retaining its strengths (good technicalities, clarity, separation, etc.).