Currently, there are several headphones that have the capability of replacing cables using, for example, MMCX and 2-pin connectors. [1] in the case of in-ears [2]. However, there are cables with different configurations and this ends up making people confused. One of the points that most leave consumers in doubt are the cores (or colors or pathways) of the cables, where it is possible to find cables with 4 cores up to 24 colors.
In order to have a good quality in the transmission of electrical signals in a headphone cable, it is essential to use a quality metal alloy, be it copper or silver. If you want to know if the metal used delivers a good performance in terms of conductivity, one of the ways to find out is through OFC and OCC certifications.
[1] Article “What are 2-Pin and MMCX connectors? Where are they used?”
[2] Article “What types of headphones exist”
OFC (“oxygen free”) cables
OFC (Oxygen-free copper) cable is wire forged to obtain copper filaments with an oxygen level of 0.001% or less to increase conductivity. There are three classifications for this type of cable:
- C10100 – Called OFE (oxygen-free electronic), cables with this certification have copper cores with a purity of 99.99% with 0.0005% oxygen content.
- C10200 – Identified as OF (oxygen-free) cables, they are below OFE cables, as they have a higher oxygen content (0.001%) and use copper with a purity of 99.95%.
- C11000 – The cables called ETP (electrolytic-tough-pitch) are the simplest and have a lower purity level (99.9%) and more oxygen (0.02% to 0.04%) in their composition.
OCC cables (Ohno Continuous Casting)
Cables with OCC certification (Ohno Continuous Casting) are those that have had their metal filaments (copper or silver) forged through a technique patented by Professor Ohno of the Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan. This methodology manages to be superior to that of OFC cables in terms of quality of the metallic alloy of the cable wires. While the best OFC cables have a purity of 99.99%, OCC cables can reach a purity level of 99.99998% in metallic alloys, providing better conductivity and consequently a better performance in signal transmission, offering less resistance for the passage of electricity.
The influence of the purity of the metallic alloys of the cables on the number of cores (colors)
The higher the purity of the metal alloy used in a headphone cable, the lower the resistance to the passage of electricity. Consequently, this will bring a better transmission quality of the signal sent by the amplifier, dongle, DAP or DAC/amp to the headphone.
You may have already noticed that there are very cheap cables that have 8, 16 or even 24 cores. In this specific case, this is done to try to reduce the resistance in the passage of the electrical signal, due to the poor quality of the metallic alloy used in the cable. At the same time, by increasing the number of “colors”, the cable ends up losing flexibility and becoming heavier, worsening the user experience.
While there are bad cables with many cores, there are also cables that use cores with high purity filaments. In these, it can be said that there is an improvement, albeit small, in the performance of the cable to transmit the electrical signal.
The best cost-benefit, according to my experience, is in cables with 4 cores (colors), because in them the chance of having a greater purity in the filaments is greater. In addition, these are more flexible compared to 8, 16 or 24 cores, bringing more comfort to the user.
Bonus Tip: Litz Cables
Litz certified cables are those that have individually magnetically insulated filaments, braiding them uniformly to reduce electromagnetic interference. There are several types of Litz, where each cable manufacturer develops its own geometry for interweaving wires that can be of the same thickness or different thicknesses. This technique, in addition to providing less interference for signal transmission, also delivers better flexibility and greater resistance to the cable.
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