FiiO LL-RC 2024

Gears Used for Testing

• Aune AR5000
• Hifiman Ananda Nano
• Hifiman Sundara Open Backed

Specifications
Material

• Secondary Refined Furukawa Monocrystalline Copper

Core Count

• 21AWG 4 Strands, 560 wires

Structure

• Coaxial Braided

Cable Length

• 1.5M

Connectors/Plugs

• Dual 3.5mm with Swappable Plugs (3.5mm/4.4)

Build Quality
The cable itself is very well built, it is very soft and doesn’t retain cable memory, hence making it easy to store and bring out from storage. The dual 3.5mm jack as well as the modular plug is very solid, the plug has good ergonomics based on my experience of using it for several weeks , where the shape of the jack somehow provides a very good grip when you want to unplug it from the headphone or your amp. Very well thought out, although it might sound a little inconvenient,the screw locking mechanism on the modular plug itself is to further secure it. Overall, i like the build quality very much, aesthetically as well as the tactile of the cable



Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression
*The cable has been run in for approximately 20-30 hours prior to writing this sound impression.
I have tested different headphone cables with the same material, it’s safe to say, they all sounded different to my ears, i am aware that this is a rather controversial topic, hence if you are someone who believes in cable, feel free to read further, else just skip this review/impression at once. The LL-RC 2024 does improve several aspects of the sound, in terms of slightly better note weight as well as a sweeter mid range




Listening impression
Aune AR5000 with LL-RC 2024

• Compared to stock cable of AR5000, pairing it with Fiio’s LL-RC 2024 improved the overall note weight, with a bit more texture and body on the mids and lows, treble is slightly smoother while doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of technicalities
• I also noticed slightly better soundstage reproduction as well
• Vocal positioning doesn’t change much but slightly better texture on the mids

Hifiman Ananda Nano with LL-RC 2024

• Ananda Nano’s signature is leaning towards neutral bright, at times it can be a little too analytical and fatiguing for a long listening session
• Pairing it with the LL-RC 2024 tend to thickens the note weight and induce a little warmth due to the nature of material of the cable
• Bass has better texture, slightly better extension to my ears
• Mids are not that thin anymore, improved note weight
• Trebles are smoother overall, the lower treble of Ananda Nano especially, it is prone to being a little hot on certain track, has been smoothed out a little with the LL-RC 2024’s pairing
• Soundstage and imaging does not improve much, a very good pairing and synergy overall i would say, recommended!

Hifiman Sundara Open Backed with LL-RC 2024

• Sundara Open Backed is slightly warm in terms of tonality
• Pairing the LL-RC 2024 makes the overall sound signature tilting towards the warmer end of the spectrum
• Those who find the bass of Sundara Open Backed is slightly lacking in terms of quantity and quality, LL-RC 2024 improves the quantity slightly, also the quality in terms of texture and tightness
• Mids and Treble however, doesn’t change much based on my listening impression
• Soundstage and Imaging as well
• I would say this pairing does not have really good synergy, but that is just me, but if you are looking to improve the bass aspect of Sundara Open Backed, by all means, go ahead

Final Thoughts
Cable altering/improving the sound of the transducer is a very controversial topic, there are some who don’t hear any difference and there are those who are like me, who have the ability to perceive the changes/improvement. Do keep in mind that cable will not make a bad sounding headphone sound better, That aside, Fiio LL-RC 2024 is definitely a worthy investment, coupled with a solid build quality as well as modular plug, i think the asking price is fair. If you are looking to improve or tweak a certain aspect of your headphone (soundstage,lusher mids and slightly better treble extension), this is the cable for you.



*Received the review sample from Fiio for the purpose of this review, big thanks to them for the support as always

Head over to their official Aliexpress store to purchase one if you’re interested:

Fiio LL-RC 2024 Product Page
Fiio LL-RC 2024 Store Purchase Link - Non Affiliated

FIIO LL-RC2024 Cable
$79 - $99

Before I even begin this review, let me first thank FIIO for providing the LL-RC2024 cable
Rest assured, my review is 100% my own personal opinion


Unboxing
There is minimal accessories you get from the packaging.

Build Quality

The cable specification itself is made from “High-purity Japanese Furukawa authentic copper material” with “Secondary refining process” with total wire count of 560 total wires.

It has a high quality braided nylon protective sheath.

It has modular 3.5mm and 4.4mm plug.

Sound - Comparation

FIIO stated in their website about “Differences in listening experience” the LL-RC2024 compared to stock FT3 / FT5 cable, it will “improves the resolution of high-frequencies, making an overall brighter and clearer sound performance, vocals more close to ears while improving mids density with clearer imaging.”

Though in my own experiences, I'm really having a hard times distinguishing the differences between the stock FT3 cable vs LL-RC2024, one thing I noticed is that the separation and stage sizes seems like to broaden up a bit with the LL-RC2024, I don't know if this is a placebo effect or not, but I feel the stage is somewhat broaden up a little bit compared to the stock FT3 cable and thanks to that, the separation is also somewhat improved.


What about compared with different cable?
Well, actually I have compared the LL-RC2024 cable to stock Aune AR5000 cable (I compared both with 3.5mm plug to be fair), there is no tonal differences but again with the LL-RC2024 cable, I feel like the technicalities somewhat improved.

It feels like the stage is getting broaden up again and the separation is getting better thanks to the broaden up soundstage.

So yeah that's pretty much sums up the differences I can notice / feel with the LL-RC2024 cable.

Conclusion

So is the LL-RC2024 worth your money?

It depends, actually if you have FT3 / FT5 and feels like the stock cable is too long (3M) yeah it's kinda worth it to get the LL-RC2024 1.5M variant.

Not only that, lets say you do need a modular / balanced 4.4mm cable for your dual 3.5mm headphones such as Aune AR5000 / Hifiman Sundara, you can get the LL-RC2024 to get the modular balanced cable to improve your overall listening experience such as to get the balanced vs SE improvement and more.


The cable itself is not that pricey for the high quality material being used and I kinda notice the technicalities especially the stage, separation and dynamic is a bit better compared to stock FT3 and Aune AR5000 stock cable.

Thanks for reaching this far !

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the review of this cable here


-littlenezt

A high quality cable upgrade your headphones might deserve​

Anyone who has purchased (or even read a review) of a recent FiiO headphone, like the FT5 or FT3 knows that FiiO accessories with those headphones where high quality and really put long-established headphone companies like Hifiman or Focal to shame.

So I was delighted with the opportunity to get early access to FiiO latest headphone cable. This was a great opportunity to use this cable with some of the headphones in my collection and I thought I share my findings.

The 1.5M version is priced at $79 and the 3M version is $99. But I see there is a 6% discount currently on FiiO offical AliExpress store unaffliated link . There is allot more information available about the technical manufacturer process on FiiO
offical product page on FiiO website



When I saw the picture, I originally thought this was the same cable that comes with the FT5 but as you will see in this short review that FiiO have created a much higher quality cable that share some of the great features of the FT5 (and FT3) cable.

I got the 3M version as I felt this cable would be a great alternative to the Hifiman cable that came with the Edition XS and I need a longer cable for that headphone, but I will show some comparisons later in this review with various other headphone cables.

So lets get into the detail:

Retail Box​

The LL-RC 2024 cable (which in my opinion is terrible name for an audio accessory) comes in a nice box:



The back of the box:



There is a box inside that box:



and finally opening that box reveals the cable:

Build quality and accessories​

So let’s delve into the quality of the cable and how to swap adapters.



The high-quality braided nylon protective sheath is probably the most obvious feature of the cable, providing a nice feel to the cable while providing good protection and a decent bit of flexibility.

The splitter:


The dual 3.5mm connectors:Note: These are TS 3.5mm connectors which provide great compatibility with all headphones that take dual 3.5mm connectors but these are therefore not fully balanced, though the cable itself comes with a 4.4mm balanced adapter.

The one slight problem you might get with these connectors is that size might be too wide for headphones that require deep insertions, for example, I believe some Meze headphones might have a problem with the width of these connectors.

There are instructions in the box as to how to swap connectors:


But maybe I can explain the process with some pictures:

The single-end connector is connected by default:


You unscrew this connection by turning the bottom of the connector:


Once you take out the connector you can see how to align the ‘ridge’ on the 3.5mm or 4.4mm connector to where the white arrow is inside:

Here that white arrow is in more detail:


Once you align the other connection you simple re-screw the connector and you are good to go.

Comparison with other cables​

I thought it might be useful to visually compare the LL-RC 2024 to some other cables. For first comparing with the cable that came with FT5 (and I believe the FT3):

As you can see the connections look identicle:



But the LL RC 2024 has a twisted design:



And its 21 Gauge rather than the 23 Gauge cable on the FT5, this new cable also has 560 monocrystalline structure Copper wires rather than the 392 in the FT5 (and FT3) cables.
The FT5 cable also has a gauge of 23AWG.

Here it is compared to another balanced cable, I found that the LL RC 2024 was more flexable that this alternative cable:



Here it is compared to another similar priced cable, you can see the FiiO Cable is thicker and better quality:

Key ’technical’ Features​

FiiO provides some details on their website of the process involved to create the LL RC 2024, here is a summary of what I thought were the key features:

Furukawa authentic Monocrystalline copper​

I had to look up what “Furukawa authentic monocrystalline copper” really means, but I was impressed, the copper used here is typically used in much more expensive headphone cables costing double the price from brands like Meze.

Four strands comprising 560 wires in total, ensuring robust signal transmission. The Copper is specifically known for its superior conductivity and audio signal integrity.


The certification from Furukawa further assures users of the cable’s pedigree and the authenticity of its materials.

Advanced Manufacturing Techniques​

The LL-RC 2024 benefits from an extensive copper wire treatment process, significantly reducing impurities, pores, and grain boundaries. Such attention to detail in material processing underscores FiiO’s commitment to delivering products that exceed audiophile expectations in their price range.

The use of high-quality silver-containing lead-free solder is a testament to this, ensuring minimal signal loss and contributing to a fuller, more transparent sound.

Specifications​

Sound profile​

I believe once you spend a reasonable amount on a cable you will not hear any sonics difference between cables. But there are still, in my opinion, 3 areas whereone every should verify before assuming they have a quality cable that won’t affect the audio ’experience’:

Impedance of the cable​

Potentially a cable can introduce more impedence between the headphone amplifier and the headphone but as you can see given that the LL RC 2024 is a 21 gauge wire. Using this handy guide below:



Shows that even for the longer 3m version of this cable and doing some simple maths work out at insignicant impedance. Because (41 Ohms / ( 1000m * 3m ) => 0.0136 impedance, so this cable with not affect the overall impedance and therefore not change the audio.

Microphonics​

Mostly this depends on the material used and how it interacts with your cloths, but the braided material is the best for limiting any sonic unpleasantness by the cable interacting with your cloths.

Cable / Connector build quality​

This is where over time cheaper cable can be a let-down, maybe they have limited strands of copper, or they have poor soldering or cheap plastic in their connectors anything that can affect start to weaken in day to day usage. I believe FiiO have made some smart technical choices as outlined above to limit any chance of issues long term with this cable.

Rating​

I gave this cable a 4.5 rating, it’s a quality cable with both 3.5mm and 4.4mm connectors as well high grade copper internals, people pay $1000 for cables yet this cable will be sonically indistinguishable from those cables.

Conclusion​

The FiiO LL-RC 2024 an excellent choice for anyone wanting an upgrade from their stock headphone cable, your headphones deserve a better cable and the LL RC 2024 could be that upgrade.