Test Chain

JRiver>Gungnir>Onix SP3>HE-500 (XLR to SE adapter)

 

Sound Quality

Since I do not have another speaker tap to compare I'm not sure how to tackle this as SQ will be highly dependent on whatever amp you pair it with.
 
At 1st I thought I had wired something incorrectly as with amp and Tap set to 50% volume I heard NOTHING on my HE-500.  Pressed play and nearly jumped out of my chair.  In other words with Amp & Tap set to 50% volume there was NO background noise! Especially as I'm testing with a Tube amp I was mentally prepared for some noticeable noise floor.
 
Volume Pot on Tap: Dead silent.  Provides full range of control with the same smooth increments you would experience using volume pot on headphone amp.
 

Build

 
Built to survive stage use.  Steel case, recessed switches to prevent accidental changes.
 

Ease of Use

 
See User Guide for IMPORTANT notes on setup so that you do not harm Tap, Amp, Headphones or yourself ...

Xev Balanced XLR Extension Cable 

 
 
I purchased a short 5 foot HE-500 replacement cable on the principle of "Shorter run" is better - see prior review http://www.head-fi.org/users/279370/reviews
 
This worked just fine for listening sessions but when I was working I had a bad habit of forgetting that I was on a short leash, turning around to grab something off the the printer and - well the results where fairly predicable.  
 
+ 1 for Trebuchet that having the XLR yanked from Amp by the wire had absolutely no effect.  Just me nervously checking for damage.
 
Anyhow Bryan offered a good deal on a matching Trebuchet extension cable or he had a partially finished Xev cable from a cancelled order and made an even better offer as all he had to do was add another XLR connector.
 
So what I got was a fully braided Xev cable sleeved with black techflex that's about 9 feet (silver clad copper).  [Again not sold on Silver but the price was right!]

1. Craftsmanship is impeccable.  Uniform tight sleeve over litz braided wire and according to Bryan it's flame resistant.  Hopefully he discovered this in the shop not based on customer misadventure :-o
2. Looks:  If you read my prior review you'll see I'm not in to vanity purchases but I have to say this cable is sharp and sexy and I love the new subtle but distinctive Blue Leather Zynsonix logoed tag (Ok maybe I'm just a wee bit vain)
3. Durability:  Office chair wheels + hardwood floors = Nothing.  Not so much as a blemish on the sleeving.
4. Sound: Only intended to use while working but cannot discern any difference with combined 14ft of cable and base 5 ft cable so now it just stays on permanently. 
5. Usability:  Easily the best accessory I've ever bought for getting more use out of my gear.

 
As always Bryan is a pleasure to deal with and genuinely takes an interest in what you're "playing with" at the moment and rarity of rarities - he actually follows up to see if cable is meeting your expectations.

Trebuchet HiFiMan Balanced Cable

1. Teflon over UP-OCC: Ultra Pure Ohno Continous Cast Copper
2. Viablue Y Splitter
3. Switchcraft 4 pin XLR
4. Ordered 5 ft length

 
So a bit of background here.  I absolutely despised the stock cable which came with my HE-500 and started searching for a replacement and exploring DIY options.  My He-500’s are paired with the Schiit Gungnir and Mjolnir and I quickly zeroed in on wanting to try a pure copper cable to balance the SS Mjolnir and avoid stiffness of silver cables.  I have no issue with investing in quality gear but was quickly turned off by many of the cable vendors which not so subtly implied that anything less than Teflon coated, extra soft temper,  .9999 silver cables with ebony wood Y splitter fell squarely in their “budget” line. I was just about set on DIY, priced the cable, terminations etc. and set about reading up on litz braiding as I wanted a braided, unshielded cable. 
 
Before placing my order I decided to practice braiding with wire I had on hand.  Have you ever tried to perfectly braid 5 feet of cable?  So back to looking for someone who could make a cable with the components I wanted, at a reasonable price, and not have to wait a month or more for delivery.  That’s when I stumbled on Zynsonix.  More about Zynsonix below:
 
Run by Bryan who is an avid DIY’er – check out his blog at diyaudioblog.com – I reached out to Bryan with my objectives and was immediately put at ease.  He responded immediately with suggestions based on my objectives and not once did he try to upsell me.
 
Don’t be misled by the pricing.  I found similar spec’ed cables at 3X the price.
 
So how do they sound?  Clear and transparent with a bit of the edge removed from certain treble heavy tracks which bothered me with stock cables.  HE-500’s cannot in any way be described as sibilant but there where a few tracks where the treble was just not pleasing to my ear as noted below. A/B testing is a bit of a PITA but here are a few tracks I compared:
 
Tracks:

1. Naked and Famous - Young Blood:  Keyboard intro was borderline sibilant with stock cable.  Now crisp and clearly articulated.
2. Elbow – Grounds for Divorce Live at Abbey Road Clear spacing of guitar, vocals and chorus and oh man when the Orchestra comes in at 1:15 ….
3. Vast – Pretty when you Cry – Vocals floating over gorgeous rolling bass line.   
4. Van Halen – Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do) – Guitar intro is still razor sharp.

 
Pros

1. Goldilocks zone on weight/resilience.  It’s unobtrusive while still feeling quite substantial and snag/kinking resistant.
2. Pure copper pairs well with SS Amp
3. Less than 2 week turnaround for custom cable [and would have been quicker but Bryan let me know in advance that he was out of stock on Viablue splitter]
4. Very competitive pricing for cable customized to requested specifications!

 
Cons

1. In hindsight wish I had gone for another foot or so for reach
2. Viablue Y splitter serves a purpose but perhaps slightly overkill for unshielded cable.  It’s super lightweight so not objectionable at all from functional perspective.