This cable is designed to be used with the PonoPlayer in balanced output mode with the headphone Sennheiser HD 518, HD 558, HD 595 resp. HD 598, as described in the “Pono Technical Sheet 03”. The pinout of the connectors corresponds to this document. For details refer to https://www.ponomusic.com in the Knowledge section.
Certified by PonoMusic! Download the certificate here
The cable (Cordial) is terminated with gold plated 3.5 mm TRS plugs (REAN by Neutrik) at the Pono end and the Sennheiser twist lock plug. Custom length up to 3 meter.
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Sennheiser HD5x8
I live on the West Coast in the US and order these cables about a month ago. I have the 558 Sennheiser model headphones and was so happy Mr Ehmke made balanced cables for these models as I haven’t seen anyone else offer it.
Ordering the cables was a little daunting as I only knew this gentleman was a supporter of Pono and was certified by Pono. The ordering process was through paypal so I had to contact Mr Ehmke directly to get the right amount as he resides in Germany.Hopefully the website wiil be updated at some point to make the ordering of products a smoother experience, He is very responsive with emails and after getting the payment information right I ordered these on a Saturday and the next day he made the cable and shipped out the following Monday. It did take 10 days as predicted.
The cables are very well made as pictured above. When I plugged them in the first thing that hit me was the bass, much deeper and defined. Later on listening music the what struct me is how live it sounds. All the instruments and voices separated out more from each other allow for much greater detail. Some of the songs I listen to sounded like remixes in a good way that’s how much of improvement in the sound stage I got. Listening to “Working’s Mans Dead” by the Grateful Dead blew me away. Highly recommended!!!
Just received my Balanced Cables Type 2 for the Pono – HD598’s… They sound great!
Eggert went beyond the call of duty to help me. He didn’t just provide a great cable – he helped me with a little technical support. He wasn’t required to, but it was very appreciated!
I highly recommend, Eggert, & balanced mode. You won’t regret it for $70!
I was one of Eggert’s first customers, and am extremely satisfied with the Cables. I had the diagrams from both the Sennheiser tech pages, as well as audio forums that detailed that the Sennheiser 518/558/598 all have isolated grounds, or 4 wires, that go all the way to the headphone tip. The issue is that the way that the removable connector connects to these headphones is partially the standard 2.5mm TRRS for the wiring to the drivers, but the twist lock itself is not widely available in North America, and spotty to find on say ebay. So some alternatives people have used in the past for alternative cabling like balanced for the Pono which uses dual 3.5mm tips, with proper soldering, was to use the original cable, and literally cut the end off, to use for balanced mode, and at the same time, possibly add the large XLR or mini 3 and 4-pin balanced connectors used with recording gear, hi-fi gear, etc. But, this created a multitude of issues for me personally. 1) I wanted to keep my original cable, I have some regular stereos and a headphone amp that like the standard cable, 2) by adding intermediary connectors that none of my other gear uses, I’d have a heavier and more expensive cable, and I didn’t want that, or need it, since the signals for Pono to Sennheiser 5×8 electrically are 100% the same without breaking out into heavy large connectors. The price, low weight, and brand new cable that is perfectly twist lock compatible with my Sennheisers gave me the perfect solution – great balanced sound from the Pono, which is a HUGE improvement over the standard stereo output, which itself is GREAT, and the ability to keep my original cable for use with my stereos and headphone amp that don’t use the dual 3.5mm balanced tips that the Pono uses. Eggert has found a great source for cables, that are even thicker and better quality than the stock Sennheiser cable, so I’ll probably be ordering more cables, and getting more Sennhiser 5x8s because this solution works so well, and does not weigh me down, nor does it cost a lot for heavy connectors that I don’t have a need for. I HIGHLY recommend Eggert, and have no affiliation with him, and will pay FULL price for all of my future cables from Eggert. Also, I am in the US, Eggert is in Germany, but the cable came in about 3 business days. If you are on the fence about balanced mode, and $100-$175 Sennheisers, all I can say is that I have NO desire to buy additional headphones (I do use closed ear phones, on occasion for studio use and the isolation they provide, but not for casual listening), and that Eggert’s balanced cable and the Pono have upgraded my portable (and docked) with hi-res files from the Pono store, HDTracks, and my own home hi-rez recordings just incredible. I hope Eggert doesn’t double his prices, but even if he did today and now, they would still be significantly less than what I was quoted by several other vendors (who may be using costlier materials as well as connectors, that again, I have no use for). The cable is as durable, or more than the stock one, and the connector at the headphones is a PERFECT fit, as are the dual 3.5mm ends at the Pono side. Five Stars * * * * * !!! Thank You Eggert!!