Thanks for your advice. I think that totem adapter was one of my effective tweaks in my audio chain. I realized that the older totem cable comes with all the adapter variants but now replaced with modular plug, which is reasonable change but losing the chance for consumers to try this awesome...

Dsnuts, how is the combination of penon totem adapter and high end IEM cables? I suspect that the improvement that I hear by using totem adapter is mostly because I am paring lower than totem grade IEM cables, and a little bit of infused totem taste makes the overall sound better. But if I pair...

I agree. Cables make difference for me and I am sure that higher price tagged one could make more positive changes. For me, it comes down to the matter of 'where my money should go'. If I have multiple multi-kilobuck IEMs that I can rotate, then I would pay several hundreds of $ for the cables...

so true enough that I am mostly using 2.5mm plug cable so that I can use this adapter to my amp's 4.4 balance input, rather than using 4.4mm end IEM cable directly. I had a belief that adding unnecessary interconnect would degrade the sound but this is so addictive coloration (not in a negative...

Had a chance to compare 2.5 to 4.4 adaptor plugs. One is the well known Penon Totem, and the other is GUcraftsman's pure silver. When I switch back and forth between those two, Penon Totem gives noticeably better punchy and impactful low end and more 3D holographic imaging, with a little bit of...

yeah they have very nice deals for their amps and dacs as well. good for shoppers!

I thought 1999 was even nuts and who knows it will be below 1699 later haha. I see the price right. The page says the it is father's day event but its only for american fathers?!

Yeah. But if from amazon or hifiman store, they accept returns no questions asked.

Oh wow... even hifiman store and amazon has that at 1699. Thought that I bought at a grreat price at 1999 last november... should have waited

Final sale sign from that store means that return is not available as well.

Aside from the material quality used for this xinhs cable, but the amount of material used looks stunning. Not 100% sure about my calulcation but this cable is made of 8 cores of 16awg silver (palladium plated). Havent seen any cable thicker than this value so far. https://shorturl.at/HzJkp...

Come to notice the upgrade option thanks to the posting here. Some headfiers here liked serenade as much as highly regarded R26. Wonder how the new himalaya R2R chip compares to gustard R26. Please share your impression how serenade sounds with a new upgrade chip.

Good to know. thanks a lot for your answer. I was torn between helios and crimson but ended up pulling the trigger for he1000se last year. Once I get some money to buy something else, I am gonna definitely look for helios / crimson. Many consider crimson as a straight upgrade from helios...

Great discussions happening here. Aehta looks like a great set. Isn't it the first quadbrid with BC under 1k$? 1k$ segment became really competitive these days, and definitely a sweat spot as diminishing returns start to hit hard above that price range. @DingDongMonster, thanks for sharing...

great point. In the end I need to experience by myself and hear the difference to discern whether the cable is worth the asking price. If you don't mind, can you share some more of your experience in this regard? What is the general benefit of using more materials, for example 20awg vs 26awg...