IEM Cables

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  • Regular price $ 90.00


Balanced Cables for IEMs! 

All in ear monitors (IEMs or earbuds) are natively balanced, and many high end audio players support balanced playback, but fully balanced IEM cables are tough to find!  Our IEM products are balanced cables for the majority of IEMs on the market.  These IEMs use use a round coaxial (MMCX) connector or 092 dual pin connector.  If you are looking for balanced mode cables for another type of headphone, check this link.

Before ordering, please visually inspect your cable to ensure it looks like one of the above!

Coaxial (MMCX) Type Fit the Following In Ear Monitors (Earbuds, etc...)

  • Shure coaxial type- SE215, SE315, SE425, SE535, SE846 and others
  • Westone coaxial type- UM Pro series, AC series, ES series, W series, Adventure series and others
  • Ultimate Ears: UE900
  • Ultrasone: IQ
  • Campfire Audio: Lyra, Orion, Jupiter
  • Many others
092 Dual Pin Type Fit the Following In Ear Monitors (Earbuds, etc...)
    • Audeze iSine
    • Noble Audio
    • Ultimate Ears models made prior to September 2010, including UE 1 Pro, UE 4 Pro, UE 5 Pro, UE 7 Pro, UE 10 Pro, UE 11 Pro. 
    • Note- looks similar to but does not work with Fit Ear IEMs. 
    • Fits Westone ES, UM2, UM3X, 4R.
    • JH Audio certain models.
  •  If you are looking for balanced mode headphone cables (not IEMs), please see our  Pono Player page which has a handy chart of balanced headphones.

    Please also see our balanced audio article:  http://www.surfcables.com/pages/balanced-audio-guide.

    These balanced IEM cables work fully balanced with the following audio players.

     Supported Audio Players

    Select Pono Player from the drop down above, compatible with the following devices:

    • Pono Player (of course!)/ Balanced mode
    • Sony PHA-3 DAC/ Headphone Amplifier/ Balanced mode
    • Ayre Acoustics Codex DAC/ Headphone Amplifier/ Balanced mode

    Select Onkyo DP-X1 from the drop down above, compatible with the following devices:

    Onkyo DP-X1 (balanced 2.5mm output)

    Onkyo DP-CMX1 Granbeat (2.5mm output)

    Astell & Kern (all models with 2.5mm balanced output), including:

    • AK380
    • AK320
    • AK240
    • AK120 II
    • AK100 II
    • KANN

    Cayin N5 (balanced 2.5mm output)

    The Bit Opus #1 DAC (2.5mm balanced output)


    Summary of Features:

    • Fully balanced IEM cables to drive your IEMs balanced, more power, more gain, less noise, less distortion. 
    • Silver plated copper wire for superior conductivity
    • Teflon(R) insulation for low capacitance, improved low end response.
    • Kevlar core for improved physical strength
    • Silver based solder employed at all solder joints
    • Resilient memory wire near earpiece to retain wire shape
    • Adjustable neckline
    • Coaxial MMCX and 092 dual pin connectors fit a wide array of IEMs.
    • Sealed gold plated connectors for longevity.
    • Made in USA
    • Certified RoHS compliant (lead free)
    • Free shipping in USA!
    • 4 and 5 foot lengths available
    • P-04 Adapters (here, bottom of page) can be added to use these cables with non-Pono Devices.
    • Full size image here.

    We have made IEM cables on our own, by hand.  However the earpiece connectors are so tiny and fragile that it is difficult and time-consuming to terminate them correctly and reliably.  Special machinery, training and equipment are required to produce these in a cost effective manner.  After looking at a number of prototypes and samples from wire manufacturers, we chose a factory (in the US) to build IEM cables to our specifications.

    These use a thicker wire than you would normally find in an IEM cable. The wire itself is copper with silver plating for a smooth and crisp sound, and is wrapped around a Kevlar threaded core for physical strength.  Clear Teflon insulation surrounds the wires, being the best insulator with the lowest dielectric constant (for improved bass).  The Teflon insulated wires are covered in a clear plastic sheath for reduced microphonics.  We designed this wire for improved sound, reliability and comfort.

    The connectors are gold plated to avoid corrosion and improve longevity.  The solder joints are made with silver, lead free solder, and then the connector base is molded around the connector for improved reliability.  Made in this way, the connectors are fully sealed to avoid the ingress of dirt and contaminants, suitable for portable and outdoor use. 

    The earpiece connectors feature a short segment of resilient memory wire so that you can bend them to a shape of your liking for improved comfort. A clear tube lets you adjust the length of the Y split below the earpieces. 

    An ideal cable for those of you who wish to connect your IEMs to the Pono Player using balanced mode.

    Add a P-04 adapter (here, bottom of page) to use these cables with non-Pono Devices.