Here's an entertaining read on the subject:

http://headmania.org/2014/06/18/aftermarket-cables-for-sennheiser-hd800/

Seriously, I think I'm gonna give the jaw dropping meaty Draug a try.
Anyone hear any of the Toxic offerings? I've always steered clear of its HF appreciation thread.

Yeah I was actually just looking at Norne's page last night again. My only problem is they seem to always be releasing new cables. I was looking at the vanquish, but they already have another one "coming soon" on the home page. And I wouldn't get draug, I don't know how I would like the plastic exterior coating vs the cloth on most of them

I couldn't make up my mind about deciding on the Vanquish or Draug. I didn't really give any consideration to the soon to be released silver litz cable.

Anyway I gave Norne a call for which I'm glad I did. Trevor answered and was very gracious. I did my best to stay concise, but he was willing to shoot the shit a little and was very easy going.

He believes that the Draug and the HD800 have a certain synergy. It has stronger bass than the Vanquish with the same level of detail throughout the spectrum. He also felt that the upcoming silver litz cable wouldn't be as optimal either.

Maybe the 8x24 (21awg) config accounts for the difference in the bass. He thinks that this design is the sweet spot for the 800.

Trevor said that he hasn't had any complaints on comfort or manageability with this cable either despite its total gauge. Based on this I decided to leave cloth out of the equation. Currently, there are about 25 people on the list and he expects to ship mine approx mid September.

If this works out, the Code-X might also be getting a Draug as well. Trevor says it's not a problem with HiFiMan connectors. I believe he said he has an alternate connector that will work. Don't quote me on that because I was driving at the time with him on speakerphone.

Quote from: MattTCG on July 24, 2014, 11:29:18 PM

I ended up with a Vanquish cable from Trevor at Norne Audio. It's one of if not the most functional and pleasant cables that I've ever used. And I've used a few :-)

I was also looking at that one as well, from both an aesthetic and ergonomic standpoint (as well as needing a balanced termination). Were you able to appreciate any sonic differences?

I thought that the cable was certainly an improvement over stock sonically. I'm about to try a Draug 2 from Norne and hope that it's something worth writing about.

Any consensus on best hd800 cable?