The Amazing PETEREK Headphone Cable and Adapters

Introduction

I’ve been listening to my stock Abyss headphone cable for a few months and while I did enjoy the clarity and brighter sound for a while, it started to become a bit fatiguing. The cable was also a bit too long and kept getting caught in the arm of my chair. A friend of mine suggested I get a custom cable made by Brandon, the man behind PETEREK.

I didn’t know what to expect as far as price and quality. Bradon was more concerned in creating a custom cable that actually feels like it was made for you. He was extremely responsive and disclosed all my options (which were many) before my purchase. I decided on red sleeving which he had to custom order for me. Talk about customer service. I also requested a pair of mini-XLR to 2.5mm adapters so I could use these cables for the Hifiman HE-1000 as well.

My order:

• 4′ DHC Ducleotide (OCC copper), 8-wire cable
• 4 feet
• 3-pin mini-XLR headphone termination
• 1/4″ Eidolic black and red source termination
• Red sleeve
• Splitter

Using OCC copper wire, this would be in the upper echelons of any copper cable you could buy. To learn more, please take a look at the information here.

Build Quality

When the cables arrived, I couldn’t contain how impressed I was with the build quality. It is, to this day, the most aesthetically pleasing cable I’ve ever seen. The sleeve was soft and the cable was flexible and rests comfortably against my chest and the side of my face. It’s easy to throw them in bag when you’re on the go as well. The 1/4″ amp-end connector is just simply beautiful with the translucent red and gold shine. They’re also color-coded which makes it easy to find the right and left channels. The 3-pin mini-XLR headphone-end connector is by far the best connector I’ve had on ANY cable (including ones from Danacable and DHC cables). It just clicks in so smoothly without a hitch. I have to say again, I thoroughly enjoy the look and feel of this cable.

The mini-XLR to 2.5mm adapters were of great craftsmanship. They worked well with the HE-1000 and the TH-900. The “footprint” was just right and didn’t obstruct or hinder the cable comfort in any way.

Sound Quality

Most importantly, how does it sound? I opted for the 8-wire cable because of the power/current requirements of the Abyss headphones. When A/Bing the cable with the stock Abyss cable (which is supposedly worth $1,000), there is no comparison. The PETEREK cable wins on all fronts. In fact, it’s only when you directly compare the two, you realize that there’s actually information missing with the stock Abyss cable, which is fairly unacceptable. The stock cable is ostensibly narrower, leaner, and has this nasty hollow, robotic-ish, metallic glare. Perhaps “tinny” is the proper descriptor. It sounds congested in the upper regions and lacks texture.

With the PETEREK cable, you get an amazingly smooth and balanced sound. It has a much more earthier sound than the stock in comparison and palpable textures. It also has a quieter background and mid-range reproduction is top-notch. It is articulate and very detailed and doesn’t have an aggressive presentation. The only shortcoming of this cable I would say is the lack of depth and dimension. At this price however, I’m just nitpicking at this point.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a high quality headphone cable or adapter for a fair price, PETEREK is a no-brainer. The craftsmanship and sound is incredible. Saying it’s a value product is a bit of an understatement. You’re getting a audiophile-grade cable for less than half of what other cable companies are charging AND you’re getting better performance AND you get to have it personalized. If you’re in the market for a high-quality cable, please message “Peterek” on Head-fi and I have no doubt you’ll be pleased with the results.