March 10, 2011

  • Cardas Headphone Cable, Part 3

    Ah, the Civic Center station.  It has separate levels for MUNI Metro and BART.  Starting in fall 1985, I used to get on at Civic Center station, in order to get to Lowell High.  One morning, the overhead message displays announced that, thanks to Reagan, the United States had become a debtor nation.

    25 years ago, in the spring of 1986, I gained a new fondness for the Civic Center station.  Why?  Must have been the video for Level 42's "Something About You," which depicts a subway.  But you know what?  Even though the video stood out, I heard this song mostly via Walkman and headphones.

    The Cardas Headphone Cable's mini-XLR plugs in perfectly into the AKG K702.  But do be aware of the angle at which the plug comes out.  If you try to adjust it, you will end up removing the 'phones from your noggin.

    No trouble inserting the 1/4" plug into the Headamp GS-1.

    Sorry, we don't have adapters, which will allow the Cardas Headphone Cable to be treated on the Cable Cooker.  So give it lots of playing time.  New, the Cardas Headphone Cable sounds soft, overly warm, and kind of gummy.  But when it sees playing time, its sound will become more forceful, refined, and engaging.  At times, this kind of sound, though not the same as the stock AKG cable, will compel listeners to blurt, "Awesome!"