Lavricables Master Silver Headphone Cable – Invigorating Presentation
Lavricables Master Silver is a $544 USD / Euro cable for headphones, which can be configured with multiple connectors, and in multiple lengths. The variant costing 544 USD is 3 meters in length, and comes with AECO XLR special connectors for the source, and with the Sky Blue color. You can always grab a shorter variant for a lesser price, or a longer variant. With Lavricables everything is custom made, and the cables cost about 100 EURO per every extra meter of length, with a starting price of 344 EURO for the 1.2 meters variant. Today we will explore how the cable sounds like, how it compares to other cables, including LavriCables Ultimate Silver (235 USD for the base version), Meze Silver Cable (200 USD), and Eletech Inferno (750 USD). We will also be pairing the cable with HIFIMAN HE1000SE (3500 USD), HIFIMAN Audivina (1999 USD), and iBasso SR3 (599 USD).
Introduction
The new Master Silver is the second cable I am reviewing from Lavricables and the company seems to be on a roll with the cable making, as I received more mails asking questions about their cables than any other manufacturer since I published my original review on the Ultimate Silver. There is a lot to like with the Lavricables company, starting with the super friendly attitude, good communication, exceptional pricing for high-end cables and for a high-end sound, plus the products are shipped fast, they arrive in excellent condition and they provide good warranty. Not only this, but they make those on demand, so they can fit any connectors, any length you may require being able to help you get the best experience out of your headphones. You may notice that I am pairing the Master Silver cable with multiple HIFIMAN Headphones, but that is because they rely on this 3.5mm connector at the headphone side, and are easy to pair with the cable. There are multiple options for connectors available on the Lavricables website, and they include mini XLR, and other, even exotic connectors.
I’d like to thank Lavricables for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion. We are not receiving any incentive for this review and Audiophile-Heaven has no affiliation with Lavricables beyond this review.
Product Link
You can grab one from Lavricables here – https://www.lavricables.com/cables/master-silver-hifiman-he1000se-arya-sundara-ananda-he6se-he5se-upgrade-cable/
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here – https://amzn.to/3NVmeSM
Build Quality/Aesthetics
There is a lot of talk about cables and whether they would make a difference in the sonic presentation of headphones, and why you’d want an upgraded cable for your headphones. One of the first reasons that comes to mind is the build quality, and ergonomics, as most default cables that headphones come with are pretty basic, so it is good to know that the Master Silver is a really flexible cable with excellent ergonomics, no handling / microphonics noise, and exceptional build quality. The sky blue version is even more beautiful than the Ultimate Silver that I reviewed in the past, this new version having the effect of a beautiful shine and outline in person. The cable has a natural braiding, which is neither too tight nor too loose, the 3 meters version is what I would consider perfect for a desktop headphone, and it is ideal if you have a larger dac / headphone amplifier which is sitting away from your desk and you want a bit of movement sway.
The fact that there is a pretty tangible difference between the Ultimate Silver and the Master Silver comes from the fact that they are using a different wiring inside of the cable, and the Master Silver uses a 4-Cores 5N Purity Silver AWG 22 multi strand Litz Wire. The company recommends at least 150 hours of burn-in for the best sound, but in my experience the sound won’t change much with more burn-in. You can customize the cable with multiple sleeving options, Y Splitters, plugs, headphone plugs, there are two colors available, and multiple cable styles available on the Lavricables website.
If you’re curious about whether cables make a difference or not, I like to answer this simply with – judge with your ears. The scientific method recommends measuring the results of an experiment, to assess the hypothesis. If we, as humans, hear a difference, then the result is that there is a difference. I’ve been reading a lot on how conductors transmit current and why cables would and would not make a difference, so I can say that there are strong arguments on both camps, ultimately the most important aspect for a human user being the human experience of using the said product.
For me, after countless experiments, cables most certainly make a difference in sonics, and although it is nowhere near as large as the difference the DAC, Amplifier, or the headphones / IEMs / transducers in general make, it is enough to be worth exploring as an area of discussion. The headphones I’ve used for today’s review include HIFIMAN He1000SE, HIFIMAN Audivina, and iBasso SR3. All of those are super nice headphones, and while the default HIFIMAN cables are standard, iBasso includes a high-quality cable with SR3, and all of them have been connected either to Aune S17 PRO, HIFIMAN EF600, or FiiO K9 PRO as sources.
Sound Quality
Testing a cable is always slightly more complicated than most components because switching the cables takes a while and our auditory memory is not great, but with proper volume matching, it is possible to get a good idea of how the new Master Silver sounds like, and it clearly has a signature, and different sound even from the Ultimate Silver. We have a really good outline for the bass, which becomes stronger than with most cables, it has a juicy, clean and transparent midrange, and the upper midrange, along with the treble becomes a bit more sparkly, while the transients become slightly softer, the decay slightly slower and the impulse response more natural. This all transcribes to a listening experience that is more pleasing to the ear, smoother in the textures, but with more impact, more bass quantity and more depth, better instrument separation and better clarity for all music. To best explain the results, I will emphasize a bit more on the results, please keep in mind that those changes are within the realm of what a high-end cable can do.
Starting with the bass, you generally don’t expect silver to increase the bass, and you even generally expect silver cables to decrease the amount of bass that a headphone has, but Master Silver is special, and instead it adds a bit of depth, impact, and low-end response to headphones, and I find this as a welcome addition to both HE1000SE and iBasso SR3. As both tend to be somewhat bass-shy and neutral, both are improved by the increased low-end response, and become more authoritative, playing music with more energy, better impact, and more force.
The midrange is also much cleaner, juicier, and more resolute with the Master Silver, as it helps smooth out very harsh and aggressive transients, allowing for instruments to shine through a bit better, allowing for female voices to sound sweeter, guitars to sound more juicy and cleaner, and for all music to have more actual detail. As with most silver cables, here we see the tendency of the upper midrange to be increased in presence slightly, and to have a better contrast, more energy and more life, compared to the lower midrange, so this is a cable that emphasizes emotional music, and music with a female voicing, or higher timbers, putting more life and emotion into music.
The soundstage is revealed better, with more clarity and precision, as instruments in the background are allowed to shine more, without overpowering the foreground layers. Instrument separation is improved too, bringing all music to sound more holographic, wider and deeper too. I am hearing an improvement in the dynamics, overall warmth of voices.
We have a bright, sparkly and airy treble, but the Master Silver brings the transients in the treble to be smoother and more musical too. It is interesting to hear that we can have exceptionally clean treble without things becoming harsh or brittle. Silver as a material generally has the reputation of making sound a bit too harsh and textured, but Master Silver is the kind of cable that brings the air and sparkle to music, while adjusting the sound to be more pleasing to the ear.
Comparisons
LavriCables Master Silver vs Meze Silver Cable (544 USD vs 200 USD) – Meze Silver is a good cable ergonomically, but Master Silver is softer, is less prone to microphonic, and easier to handle, plus Master Silver looks better in person. The sound is on the advantage of Master Silver too, as Meze Silver Balanced is a cable that sounds very typical for a Silver Cable, it dials in some detail and resolution, gives sound a bit more air and better soundstage too. Overall, Master Silver is an upgrade from Meze Silver and can be customized for any pair of headphones, but it is pricier too, the performance scaling quite linearly with the pricing in this situation.
LavriCables Master Silver vs LavriCables Ultimate Silver (395 USD vs 255 USD) – This is the hardest comparison to make, because both are from the same company, but they actually sound different. The ergonomics are better on the newer and pricier Master Silver, as it is thinner, softer, more flexible and conducts microphonics less than the Ultimate Silver. The sound has more bass, especially more sub bass impact on the Master Silver, more midrange clarity and especially upper midrange clarity, and more air sparkle on the Master Silver. Ultimate Silver sounds very natural, clean and it tends to do similar things to sound as Ultimate Silver, but in higher amounts, it has better resolution and clarity, and it also sounds wider and more holographic. The decision should be easy to make, Master Silver is even more U-Shaped and has a more vivid midrange, plus a slightly wider soundstage than Ultimate Silver, for a slightly higher price, if you’re comparing the same length.
LavriCables Master Silver vs Eletech Inferno (544 USD vs 750 USD) – Eletech inferno is a really solid cable, and it sounds cool, but it is super warm, smooth and doesn’t add treble nor does it help reveal the treble more, rather increasing the warmth of the sound. Master Silver is quite different and it keeps the sound light, fast, dynamic and punchy, each cable being best for a different pair of headphones, Master Silver for a headphone that already sounds good, and maybe needs more bass and treble, while Eletech Inferno is designed for headphones that need warmth, which are bright and could lose some treble. The build is very different, and Inferno is heavy, solid, and sturdy, while Master Silver is lightweight, flexible and easy to use. Both look good, Master Silver in sky blue being a really beautiful cable.
Pairings
LavriCables Master Silver + iBasso SR3 (544 USD vs 600 USD) – SR3 is a headphone I typically wouldn’t purchase an aftermarket cable for, since they are not very pricey, and they do come with a high-end cable, but I figured that I can’t only pair the Master Silver with HIFIMAN Headphones, and I found that it brings huge improvements to SR3, giving them a deeper, more forward sound, which has a more V-Shaped tuning, better treble sparkle, and more impact. This helps SR3 a lot, because it tends to be more mid-centric, and adding more bass especially sub-low end, and more air will make music more alive, and the soundstage wider, improve the layering and the resolution is better as well.
LavriCables Master Silver + HIFIMAN He1000SE (544 USD vs 3500 USD) – HE1000SE has nice cables from the factory, but Master Silver has a much better ergonomic, it is more flexible, less prone to microphone noise, and more practical to use. It is also more beautiful in person, which helps with giving HE1000SE a high-end look. The biggest improvement I’ve heard from all headphones has been with HE1000SE, which becomes far sweeter sounding, the sub-bass becomes deeper, and has more impact, better reach and the treble becomes more sparkly, all while the resolution is improved. The trick with the Master Silver is that it never adds harshness, and although it can add some air to the sound, it also makes those pesky transients smoother, and detail makes more sense, music is more realistic, making HE1000SE even more impressive.
LavriCables Master Silver + HIFIMAN Audivina (544 USD vs 1999 USD) – Audivina is helped by the Master Silver in the midrange, as it tends to be on the warmer side, the Master Silver cable helps them open up, all while holding onto the contrast the have between the treble and the bass, the impact in the low end and the air in the highs, without changing the tonal balance of the headphones. Audivina already sounds a bit U-Shaped, so it doesn’t really need too much help to become more bassy or more treble-happy, but the textures become easier to enjoy, and although the treble remains very strong with the Master Silver compared to the majority of cables, the treble becomes smoother in that texture and easier to enjoy. We also have a good sense of dynamics, which are improved, and although Audivina already had a huge soundstage, when adding the Master Silver, that stage gets even wider, and deeper.
Value and Conclusion
One of the reasons Lavricables is so popular these days is the pricing of their cables, and Master Silver is one of the best performing cables I’ve heard, and yet it doesn’t break the bank, and comparing its price to the price of most high-end headphones, it is an acceptable investment to improve the ergonomics, sonics and overall experience of using those headphones, gaining the title of an excellent price / performance ratio for a cable.
Before the end of today’s review, I want to add it to the Audiophile-Heaven Hall Of Fame, for the excellent performance, outstanding sonics, and fair pricing along with the exceptional support from Lavricables.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a way to make your headphones more dynamic, more airy, and deeper sounding, with better impact and instrument separation, a wider and more holographic soundstage, and to improve on the overall clarity, Lavricables Master silver is one of the best purchases you can make to improve on your experience.
Product Link
You can grab one from Lavricables here – https://www.lavricables.com/cables/master-silver-hifiman-he1000se-arya-sundara-ananda-he6se-he5se-upgrade-cable/
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here – https://amzn.to/3NVmeSM
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
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
--- Contact Us ---
