ddHIFI BC150B Cable – Silver Soundstage Upgrade for Headphones
ddHIFI BC150B is an $119 USD is a new upgrade cable for HIFIMAN Headphones, as well as others using 3.5mm jacks at the earcup side, with a flexible construction, good ergonomics which we will review today. The cable promises to bring a wider soundstage to music lovers, so we will try to focus on whether BC150B can influence the sound and increase the soundstage of your music, and bring other differences too.
Introduction
ddHIFI is an excellent example of how a company can launch multiple successful products at an entry-level price point, but be successful, offer essential accessories for audiophiles, and make our music listening experience better as a whole, for a small price. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. A Huge Thanks to DD HIFI for providing us with the sample for this review.
PROs – Wide soundstage, Sturdy build quality, Great Design, Good Price / Performance Ratio, Good resistance to EMI and Interference in general, No Microphonic Noise, Many selections for connectors, Warmer Bass, Sharp and brilliant treble, Super nice support from ddHIFI.
Cons – You need a high-end headphone to hear the differences, or for them to be strong enough to justify upgrading the cable.
Product Link
You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/4el72tL
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
ddHIFI BC150B is a Double Shielded Silver Headphone Upgrade Cable, which means that it should be both resistant to wearing stress, but also isolate you really well from interference. While I would normally not make a big deal out of sonic interference, with headphones, that can be an issue. The trick is that a headphone is typically worn in the same room where countless wifi devices are active, and without any kind of isolation, you can experience big signal degradations, because the signal itself is not very powerful, so for a rather low intensity signal a high interference will cause audible distortions.
The conductors have an unusual arrangement, and the + Signal has a 22.8 AWG size, the – Signal has a 24.3 AWG size, and the shielding is the biggest, having a 21.5 AWG size. The cable structure is really complex, with the Signal + having a 0.08mm 4N Silver + 0.05mm 4N Silver + 0.05mm Silver Plated OCC + 0.05mm Furukawa Silver-Copper Alloy structure. The Signal – has a simpler 0.05mm 5N OCC structure. The Shielding has a 0.06mm Silver Plated OFC structure. This is actually really interesting, because the + wire is larger than the minus wire, and quite a bit larger, and the shielding is also very thick compared to most cables.
For the jack we have a 4.4mm balanced plug, and for the connectors, you can purchase a multitude of connectors, and even contact ddhifi to make you one if the one you want isn’t listed here. On the official website you can find Standard 3.5mm (HIFIMAN, Sivga, Sendy Audio), 3.5mm with extended Tip (HIFIMAN, Sivga, etc), Sennheiser 2-Pin (HD 6XX series), Sennheiser 2-Pin Recessed (HD8XX series), Focal Lemo (Focal Utopia, etc).
The length of the cable can be 145 cm, 195 cm and 295 cm. I personally would go for the longer versions, either about 2 meters or about 3 meters would be great for an over-the-ear desktop headphone, as the shortest variant would be really short for a desktop headphone. The weight of the cable is 60 grams for the shortest variant.
Subjectively, the DD HIFI BC 150 B is the kind of cable that feels well made, sturdy and has good resistance to bending. To be fair, it feels sturdier and more resilient than all of the cables that almost all headphones originally come with, and offers a more comfortable touch experience, as the outer shielding is of a really good quality. The only headphone brand I feel you should know needs a special 3.5mm cable is Crosszone, as they have their own connectors with 4 poles that feed all the signals of a balanced cable in each earcup.
The Y connector on the BC150B is made of metal, golden in color, and looks beautiful in person, the cable is not tangle prone, and does not remember its kinks, having resistance to the wire memory effect. The cable is also really resistant to microphonic noise, it does not produce noise when brushing against your clothes, and the noise of earpads brushing against my face, and the headphones microphonics in general are far louder than the noise of the cable. Sharp impacts such as knocking on the cable travel through it, but only if you hit it with a hard surface such as a nail, button, or if you have a hard ornament on your clothes.
The main headphones I’ve been testing the ddHIFI Bc150B cable with are Aune AR5000, Dekoni x HIFIMAN Cobalt, HIFIMAN He1000SE, Meze 109 PRO, and iBasso SR3. It is good to keep in mind that we have the 3.5mm recessed connector which fits Meze well, because the 3.5mm jacks at the headphone side are thinner and can fit basically all headphones out there. The source list I have been using for those tests includes iBasso DX260, HIFIMAN Serenade, Dethonray Listening M1, and Hiby R4.
Sound Quality
Overall Signature – Most cables have a vague signature compared to DACs, AMPs and headphones or IEMs (in order from the least to biggest changes in tuning and signature), so BC150B is a good example of a cable that makes fine tweaks which improve almost all headphones you would use with it. It enhances the soundstage, making sound bigger, warmer, somewhat more forward in the lower midrange, crisp, clean and seems to isolate the background noise a bit, providing a more precise, more refined listening experience. I honestly am not sure why the + and the – channel are so different in build, as the differe I hear is milder than the difference in the conductors used, but happily it all rounds up to a really pleasing listening experience for the end user. I’ve seen this point often being made when talking about cables, that the connectors between the headphone connectors and the headphone driver are actually thinner wires, and that is true. But I also remember studying during engineering school that the SNR of most conductors is dependent on the signal strength and length of the conductor, and how the signal degrades over distance, especially for weaker signals, so that’s part of why better cables can improve the experience for headphones and IEMs, especially in a home with a wifi router, laptop, gaming computer, and basically anything that can produce a strong electromagnetic field.
Bass – The low end of the cable is warm, rounded with most of the influence happening in the upper bass, the lower and sub bass being very similar to how other cables present it. The upper bass gets a pump in quantity, an increase in size, especially width, creating a big, and warm bass. The speed is natural towards slow, creating a pleasing, and audibly slightly sloppy bass which enhances most music styles.
Midrange – The midrange gains a bit of presence and warmth in the lower midrange, leading to a pleasing, wider, bloomier midrange, fun and clean to the ear. Male voices tend to be slightly emphasized by this tuning, but female voices, such as Miley Cyrus are also crystalline and clear, but slightly lower in amount and slightly recessed compared to most male voices as presented by the cable.
Dynamics / PRaT / Textures – The dynamics and transients are fast, textures are resolved with extreme detail and clarity, ddHIFI allows the headphones to be as clear, high resolution and revealing as possible. The dynamics are also heavily emphasized, even compressed pop sounds dynamic, punchy and interesting.
Soundstage – This is where the BC150 B makes the biggest difference as it enlarges the soundstage, widening it, especially in the lower midrange, and the treble. Basically, all shimmer and brilliance in music sounds holographic and wide and so does the lower midrange, male voices and bass notes, although the upper midrange in particular gets a bit more intimate, so you can expect sweeter, more musical female voices like Yfu baby to sound really close to you, while the rest of the song gets a big 3D soundstage boost.
Treble – The treble of the Bc 150B is wide, sharp and brilliant, with exceptional resolution and detail. The texture is fairly natural, and clean, but it is a cable that doesn’t cut anything from the treble, allowing air and brightness to shine through, without adding grain or any unwanted metallic tinge to the cymbal crashes. Quite perfect overall, works well for all music, all styles, and most headphones too.
Value and Conclusion
ddHIFI has always been able to satisfy a broader audience with their products, and the new BC150B is no exception, as this cable can improve the comfort of all headphones out there, for less than 120 USD. The sound has improved too, and regardless whether you believe in cable quality or not, it is always great to know the weakest chain in your listening setup is not exactly a factory default.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a comfortable, beautiful looking cable, with resistance to bending, resistance to microphonic noise, and good interference isolation, and with a wide, slightly warm, open and brilliant sound, ddHIFI BC150B can accompany and make any headphone a bit more holographic and a bit more enjoyable for a really good price, being recommended for both its price and performance.
Product Link
You can grab one here – https://amzn.to/4el72tL
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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Great review as always – well done!
How does this one compare to Lavricables – especially the Ultimate? (was just about to purchase that one).
It is also worth noting that this cable is available in other terminations – such as for the Senn HD800S.
Thank you! I think that Lavricables Ultimate has a better soundstage, more resoluton and a higher dynamic in the presentation, and a slihgtly sweeter sound, but both are very ergonomic, both feel nice iun hand, and the difference in price makes the ddHIFI a compelling offer. I personally would use the Lavri more for sound, and use ddHIFI for an affordable but good sounding solution, with much better ergonomics than stock