NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable Review – Die Form Folgt Der Funktion…
Pros — Excellent build, haptic, and looks; rugged and attractive looking.
Cons — Some microphonics.
INTRODUCTION
Third-party “upgrade” cables with prices up to the sky have always played a role in the premium earphone segment. But in the last few years, with the uprise of budget/mid tier Chi-Fi, such cables have become standard staples even at the very low end.
In fact, fixed cables are a deal breaker for many potential buyers even of $20 earphones. Some Chi-Fi earphone brands have their own line of cables that range from a few $ to the price of a mid-tier earphone.
NiceHCK are such a company. They have impressed us with more or less good sounding but always well-built earphones, and I have purchased quite a few of their $10-15 pure copper or silver- plated copper cables, which have been always to my satisfaction.
Now I am in the situation where I hold a $110 cable in my hands for the first time. Is it any better than the cheap fare – and if so – is the “NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable” worth the “upgrade”?
SPECIFICATIONS
Product Name: NiceHCK 5N UPOCC copper cable
Model name: NiceHCK Blocc
Material: 5N UPOCC copper (purity 99.999%)
Internal core structure: Litz
Outer material: black nylon
Length:
Plug Types: straight 3.5 /2.5 /4.4mm
Connector: MMCX/0.78mm 2Pin/QDC 2Pin
Number of Cores: 982 {(980.06mm)*2}
Conductor Core: 26AWG
Outer diameter of internal single core: 0.06 mm
Single Outer Skin Diameter: 2.7 mm
Tested at: $110
Purchase Link: NiceHCK Audio Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
TECHNOLOGY
The important technologies used in the NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable are UPOCC (material) and Litz (internal cable structure). You may have come across these terms before, but, like me, do not remember the details. OCC stands for “Ohno Continuous Casting”.
It refers to a method of copper refining developed and patented by Professor Ohno of the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan. UP stands for “Ultra Pure”. The process results in essentially oxygen free pure copper, which has ultra-low impedance that results in rapid signal transmission. And the lack of impurities makes the material corrosion resistant.
The “N” number in 5N refers to degree of copper purity. 5 refers to five nines as in 99.999% pure copper (4N would mean 99.99% and so on).
Litz is a special type of multistrand cable designed to reduce skin and proximity effect losses in conducturs below 1 MHz. It consists of many thin wire strands, individually insulated and twisted or woven together, following one of several carefully prescribed patterns frequently involving several levels (groups of twisted wires are twisted together, etc.).
The result of these winding patterns is to equalize the proportion of the overall length over which each strand is at the outside of the conductor. This has the effect of distributing the current equally among the wire strands, reducing the resistance.
HAPTIC & BUILD
With four words: this cable feels very substantial. I have never had a more substantial cable in my hands. The coating is of thick nylon and the metal pieces at the ends and the splitter are made of shiny, sturdy metal alloy.
All metal parts are plain cylindrical in shape – the design is minimalistic and pragmatic and would fit the German Bauhaus school of design “Die Form folgt der Funktion” (the shape should reflect the functionality). The actual nylon coating feels pleasant, sturdy/robust yet very pliable, and water repellent. It is certainly not a dust and dirt attractor. Despite being thick, the cable is very light and does not drag you down.
The ear hooks are mantled with some sturdy however reasonably flexible pvc. This cable is way more substantial than any of the $10-15 plastic cables I own and could easily be used to strangle someone – please don’t try this at home. I underline my description with photos below.
The MMCX connectors are very sturdy. I swapped the cable around more than 10 times between different earphones – and the connectors clicked in with precision. Unplugging also has never been a problem.
COMFORT
The stiffness of the memory wire is ok, and their thickness distribute the weight evenly so that this cable is very comfortable around the ears. In fact, I don’t feel it at all – in contrast to the silicone tips inside my ear canals. The cable is – as said- light, and does not pull my ears or head down. In any case is the cable comfortable against the skins.
NOISE TRANSMISSION
The two cables strands between the ear hooks and the splitter are audible when rubbing against my designer beard near the jaws. While there is some microphonics, I am not sure whether this is also the case for the shaven individual.
COMPATIBILITY
The Blocc cable comes with a variety of connectors to fit any conventional earphone shells: MMCX/0.78mm 2Pin/QDC 2Pin. You can also choose the straight plug: 3.5 /2.5 /4.4mm.
JEWELRY EFFECT/LOOKS
Because of its universal design and black colour with shiny silvery metal parts, the NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable looks great on most earphones. It looks particularly good on the KBEAR TRI I3 (see photo) as the connectors fit seamlessly to the brushed metal shells. The simple cylindrical shapes of the metal parts generate this appeal of plain beauty, something I have always liked. Call it a designer cable.
SOUND: REFINING SNAKE OIL
I did a listening comparison using the $250 Kinboofi MK4 earphone [reviewed HERE] (the only MMCX-connected earphone I can offer to be worthy for a $100 cable). I did compare it to the $10 silver-plated copper stock cable and also to the $10 Yinyoo 8-core pure copper cable.
If my perception was correct, the pure copper had less life than the other two (in combination with the MK4 earphone only) – and I retired it prematurely. When A/B-ing the stock and the BLOCC, I could not find any noticeable difference considering the error of slightly different insertion depth, my lack of auditory memory, and variation in impedance…the latter would have resulted in a slight volume difference which most reviewers would interpret as sound change.
Different eartips would very likely result in a much bigger sonic difference than swapping between these two cables. If people go for the sound of an upgrade cable, there should be a HUGE sonic improvement over the stock cable at 10 times the price. But for the $100 extra you would probably get a much better sounding earphone – even with its stock cable. So, the reason for purchasing this or any other expensive cable cannot be sound.
And that’s where the snake oil dries out. Yes, cables can make and do make a sonic difference, but in my experience, this does not at all rely on price and the effect is different between earphones – and therefore not universal. The sonic differences – where they exist – are mainly in the wire materials (and to some extent in the structure) used.
From experience, a silver-plated copper or an occ copper cable CAN add brightness, and therefore some sheen and sparkle to a dark sounding earphone, and a pure-copper cable helps taming boosted, piercing upper midrange peaks. This is just a rule of thumb, a hypothesis that needs to be re-tested for every earphone. But these sonic difference are already evident in $10-15 cables. A good example is the very sensitive KBEAR Diamond earphone, which sounds awful with an occ cable but great with cheap pure copper. KopyOkaya and I recorded the cable-material issue of the KBEAR Diamond earphone ad nauseam.
And what does the physics say? Cables may differ in their impedance and this difference affects most multi-driver earphone. Depending on the earphone’s impedance profile, different-impedance cables can change their frequency response [albeit these differences are small in most cases – they are more important when comparing iems with amplifiers].
This most often does not apply to single DDs, which typically have a flat impedance profile. The frequency response can be calculated and co-blogger Biodegraded offers a spreadsheet for this HERE. Again, impedance does not rely on price. In fact, expensive cable that don’t match well, impedance wise, will compromise sound quality, and constitute a downgrade rather than an upgrade.
Some reviewers describe cable tonality at great length, typically relative to the stock cable (and the upgrade cable is always better – audio engineers alway appear to fork out great premium earphones but then always fail with the cable? C’mon!). While any such cable-sound review cannot be universally valid – it only works for that particular comparison AND that particular earphone (minus the fantasies applied) – the differences in sonic quality perception may simply be generated by impedance differences and therefore by sonic quantity.
If somebody wants to claim that a certain cable is a universally valid upgrade for any earphone, this has to be established by comparing the upgrade cable vs. stock for many earphones. Another alarm bell should ring when the BETTER LOOKING upgrade cable (nicer outer materials and fancier connectors) ALWAYS sounds better.
It also needs to be established that it is the pricier materials that make the difference. Good luck. Most cable reviews that touch sound should therefore be digested with caution.
So, why bother with this NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable? Well, a good cable is like a nice watch: the latter also just tells you the time – and probably not more accurately than your Timex, but a Rolex on your wrist looks and feels nicer – and it is a status symbol.
So, the you spend $$$$ on a sports car, pardon earphone, you may want some nice tires and hubs, pardon cable with it. Get it? A nice cable is mainly jewelry, it is the looks and feel, and it may have some improved functionality (microphonic, weight etc.), but this is probably filed under “diminishing returns”.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
I was new to fancy cables and this one is impressive, but for the wrong reasons! It is simply a well working and optically/haptically appealing accessory that upgrades your setup in terms of looks and feel. It feels substantial and sturdy, the thick ear hooks are comfortable, and it has some microphonics. The NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable is simply a nice piece of jewelry.
Let’s put it like that. Someone’s wife could do with a cheap handbag, it doesn’t work any better than a Louis Vuitton. However, every time she picks up her Louis Vuitton, she gets this wow feeling – and one of gratefulness for her husband’s generous Valentine’s day gift. And if you are the wife, you know what I am talking about. So, gentlemen, why not getting your own hand bag in the shape of a nice cable. Just for pleasure.
Until next time…keep on listening!
DISCLAIMER
NiceHCK Blocc 5N UPOCC Copper Litz Cable was provided unsolicited by NiceHCK store – and I thank them for that.
Get it from NiceHCK Audio Store
Our generic standard disclaimer.
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