Review: C3 Audio SPOFC, UPOCC for your Senns, HiFimans, MySTs

Sound

Shorthand for the above is that I feel more comfortable using both C3 cables with HiFiMan and MyST. The good news is that once in place I don’t really care about changing the cable. 

Part of that is that I’m a secret HD650 worshipper. Sure, MyST’s OrtoPhones is more dynamic, more open, and for certain genres, is pretty much tip top. High-end HiFimans bridge that dynamism with a bit of lay-back comfort- best of both words you could say. A 29 year-old would gravitate to the energetic, the dynamic, the super speedy. The 38 year-old Nathan is totally settling back into the HD650 comfy chair. 

Most interesting is that to my ears, C3’s HD650 cables differ least among the three- at least compared to a lesser balanced option. Next to stock, there’s a bit more to talk about. I don’t think it’s because the HD650’s cable is that good (though it seems nice), it’s that the stock thing that came with the MyST OrtoPhone is horrible. Similarly, HiFiman’s stock cable isn’t the best. 

As far as I’m concerned, both C3’s SPOFC and UPOCC cables warm up the OrtoPhones enough that I’ve been re-thinking when and where to use them vis-a-vis the HD650. I absolutely love their open top-end and absolutely speedy transitions. But the stock cable congests the signal a bit, confusing certain transitions. The C3 cable stands against that, de-kinking the congestion and warming up the low end. 

If only C3 could upgrade the OrtoPhone’s yokes and headband. Yikes, does OrtoPhones feel after a short while. 

By far the comfiest of the bunch is Susvara. From that angle it benefits the least from the C3 cable. Its gummy feel against the skin, however, isn’t nice. C3 nylon feels much better against the skin, and its added weight also makes the headphone feel more secure. It’s also far, far better made, befitting a high-end headphone. And, unless I’m sorely mistaken, it coaxes broader, more feathered bass edges from Susvara, which already nailed just about everything. Susvara is about as good sounding a headphone as I’ve heard. Both the SPOFC and UPOCC firm up that image nicely.