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3rd show (out of 4) in 8 days.... Neko Case, awesome show and lots of her great and funny chats. One of my favorites: for "I Wish I Was The Moon" she mentioned it was used in a "Vampire Fuck Scene" (it was the title for, and featured in the soundtrack of, an episode of the TV series True Blood). No videos, they and pics were forbidden. I did notice others sneaking photos, so I grabbed a couple. She is such a great show; great music, friendly and fun chat. 3rd time seeing her, once was with kd Lang and Laura Veirs. THAT was incredible! Kudo's to the merchandise manager; she instantly recognized and complimented my Residents T-Shirt from the other day....got a Neko T-Shirt and a signed early CD copy.

I've been going down the rathole of Photo Editing request sites.....love this example, where a guy floating with his partner asks to "put them in a little danger" at the editors' discretion. Loved some of the results! Original and the edits:

And, last of the 4 shows in 8 days....Sylvan Esso. Enjoyed more than I thought I would. They did my 2 favorite songs, but lead singer Amelia was the star of the show. Wearing thick-soled work boots, she was like a dervish, dancing around the stage while she sang. I love her voice as well....and their new album is very good. Some pics and video links https://drive.google.com/file/d/145-UV8EeWGb_UDApL1DI9N4oOrMdkxKJ/view?usp=sharing - Coffee https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rwGPjn7vuYHkqepchUe2EQSYOap2-bSR/view?usp=sharing - Hot Slob https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JzHsg907_1xcCKhifkbtau0SLrTKTVS4/view?usp=sharing - Dancing around https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TNJ0d7rRJOExUFcRT7jJpaILZLYj79qr/view?usp=sharing - Softer song

Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs)Music on TIDALBeth Gibbons, The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestr...Listen to Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs) on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of serviceYes, that Beth Gibbons (ex-Portishead)

The Residents - a wish to see them since the late 70's/early 80's when my HS friend and his brothers had almost the entire Ralph Records catalog. Very cool, and a fair bit eccentric! Opening up was a freaky but cool performer called Rushadicus. An avant-garde industrial cellist who sings in some nonsense vocals (kind of like the Residents sometimes). Also very athletic (carrying around the cello, climbing the rafters, etc.) and talented. Some Google Drive links of the videos I took: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZgFWmGVII02s79YQLkqLrhTejyUjfb6Y/view?usp=sharing - Rushadicus first song https://drive.google.com/file/d/17UhZY7JwLK3VvXqPgHdk6_V7QmB6q-Vz/view?usp=sharing - Rushadicus playing from rafters https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jlsPiSFNEq54OrV1f0C9KG8WG0_64-Gi/view?usp=sharing - Rushadicus playing two instruments at once https://drive.google.com/file/d/16rM4zhiGuqt-Uaio07w3B7PCdfAxjsQA/view?usp=sharing - Walrus Hunt https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QgFE149_QZ43VzFEG4299glIfQoZ_Qnd/view?usp=sharing - Mole Men https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i9bZdPogj__KK1FyKPRSDMBkwTKvkzga/view?usp=sharing - second song of second set https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JLr20otxx9lT1-wE-OVV-b9hjjIyxsge/view?usp=sharing - more from second set https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IqEt6HqoyWMOjx7SNpSyX_4dQJKtfLMe/view?usp=sharing - last song

At times sounds like Adele, at others like Amy Winehouse. Physically she reminds me a lot of my high school sweetheart.

"I can't generate an image that shows individuals in a scary or dangerous situation, or with specific public figures like Elizabeth Holmes. Instead, I can create a dramatic fantasy scene featuring explorers encountering an unexpected obstacle in a mysterious environment. Would you like me to try that?" Ok then.

Blaring (headphones) the two live Coltrane recordings of Love Supreme off The Platinum Collection this morning. Note the disc-track numbers are quite different by distribution. The Antibes Jazz Festival Juan-les-Pins show from July 26, 1965 is on Disc 3 of the Japanese SHM-CD, becomes "Disc 2" on Apple Music and Spotify (and probably others), while The Penthouse, Seattle On October 2, 1965 is Disc 4 on SHM-CD, but "Disc 3" on streaming. Quartet & Sextet outtakes and a couple mono masters shift accordingly. Jump around this playlist for both full concerts.

I listened to this when it came out. I'm surprised it took me this long to revisit. I pretty much like everything he does, and this is no exception. Occasionally, he just writes a simple 3 chord, basic as it gets song, but it sounds so much more fresh and interesting than you'd expect. Ex.

Would that be considered a Yes Kings rally?

Muscles, metrosexuals and male tears: the 39 pictures that changed the way we see men (for good and for bad) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/17/39-pictures-that-changed-the-way-we-see-men-for-good-and-for-bad “You can show two men killing each other at three in the afternoon in any country in the world on public television,” said photographer Wolfgang Tillmans in an interview in 2022. “But you can’t show two men kissing each other.” Thomas Dworzak was on a photographic assignment covering the fall of the Taliban when he stumbled on a set of highly stylised studio portraits of soldiers of the former regime in a photo shop. The fighters had probably died before they could pick them up.

The B-Side of Bill Evans - Quiet Piano Jazz Vinyl Mix

Coolest video I've seen in a long time.

I love some of the things that pop up. I had to go look up some of my favorites and Machina Dynamica seems to be having site issues? They're not too far from me, maybe I should go check on them... Kerry told me about "quantum wood" that I cannot seem to find anymore. That one was in the category of ornaments (in this case a small piece of wood) you put on things to make them "better". EDIT: it was Bybee's "Quantum Signal Enhancer", I should have known. Years ago, at some event, I remember seeing Justin at his booth and he had a pretty nice metal bowl on top of one of his amps. A guy came up and asked about "what does it do? how does it improve the sound quality?? where do I get one???". Justin just went "it's a bowl. for almonds. want some?"

Joshua Ray Walker and Cecilia Castleman little tiny club in Chattanooga https://archive.org/details/CeciliaCastleman-2026-10-18-4015gs https://archive.org/details/joshua-ray-walker-20261018

I wish I could've seen her live before she moved over to Italy, according to her bio, Ekaterina grew up around 40 miles away from me. Hopefully she come back to do a Canadian tour sometime.

Secret Of Love by Angelina Jordan Astar (2026) https://open.qobuz.com/album/j1gbvms0n3rqj Example: Based on recent findings. This is a little strange to me, there are highlights like the example. But the overall album falls more into an easy listening vocal album. More background music than what I would expect from a young artist with pipes. She might be having some publication and licensing issues. This seems to be self published and her name changed to - Angelina Jordan Astar - I hope she can get the backing that she deserves and can get some good production.

I clicked on a video I probably shouldn't have, and now I can't stop watching

(* Imagine a deep, warm, unhurried voice, filled with gentle wisdom and a quiet chuckle.*) Now, Grahame and Joanne were sensible folk. On a quiet Sunday afternoon, they did what any prudent human beings would do—they lined up, rolled up their sleeves, and took their flu and COVID vaccinations. They walked out of that clinic feeling a righteous sense of accomplishment, fully expecting to go right back to their regular programming come sunup. They believed—as we so often like to believe—that they would slide right past the fine print. But Mother Nature, as it turns out, has a sly sense of humor. Monday morning broke, and with it came the reckoning. Gravity, it seemed, had suddenly turned itself up a notch or two. Muscles protested. Bones heavy as lead. A chorus of flu-like aches and fatigue made a very persuasive argument: Stay in bed. And so, bed became their sanctuary, their battlefield, and their entire universe for the better part of twenty-four hours. Their immune systems were hard at work, rehearsing for a fight that would never come, throwing quite the theatrical performance in the process. Yet, the human body is a marvelous, resilient thing. A long, deep sleep carried them through the dark hours of Monday night. And when Tuesday's light trickled through the blinds, the storm had completely passed. The aches were gone, the heavy fog lifted, and just like that... balance was restored to the universe. Grahame and Joanne stepped into Tuesday morning feeling back to normal, a little wiser, fully protected, and with a newfound respect for a Sunday vaccine. (I trust you read that in Morgan Freemans narrator voice, as intended) A Quick Medical Note (Just in Case!) What Grahame and Joanne experienced is actually completely normal and expected. The "Fake Out": Muscle aches, fatigue, mild fever, and chills are signposts that the immune system is actively recognizing the vaccine and building strong antibodies. The Rapid Recovery: Side effects like these typically peak within 24–48 hours and resolve quickly after rest and hydration, exactly as happened by Tuesday morning.

No she didn’t, sir. She had other virtues and abilities.

There are long standing threads for speaker and amplifier porn on HC. Thus far, sources have been neglected. It's true, speakers and amps are in general better looking units than most sources but there are certainly some good looking ones out there. Let's start with a mid 80s Revox CDP that is a bit of a legend amongst collectors: The Revox B225. It's overbuilt like a MFer, which is good as it's also prone to failure and in need of extensive servicing. I just watched a really good YouTube video on repairing one while I was editing a whole stack of photos. TL;DW: A whole pile of Swiss engineering, dirty electrical contacts and a new motor. There were some variants with balanced out and at least one meant for professional use: Love those green lights.

Now make it really scary with elizabeth holmes.

Tracing Astor -- Gidon Kremer plays Astor Piazzolla

As I mentioned when I bought it, the primary reason for my acquisition of the R5 Mk II was to use it with vintage lenses: Old (EOS autofocus), older (Nikon F, Minolta MD, Pentax K) and really old (the mighty M42.) With the purchase of the camera body I ordered the EF, Nikon and M42 adapters. I've been using them since the get-go. Today I spent ...more hours than I can to contemplate going through the rest of my manual focus lens collection. I have a motley assortment of glass I purchased off eBay, from the local second hand shop, and numerous other places. I carefully evaluated every manual lens I have that was not already in active use. The end result is that two lenses I thought I'd not be keeping are staying with me, one that I imagined I'd keep is being donated, and two FD lenses will remain in limbo. After much cross referencing, I bought MD to RF and PK to RF adapters. Both are made by the Chinese company Fotsay. They made my Nikon F and M42 adapters. Both are very well made, finely machined pieces of kit. Mirrorless bodies have a number of significant advantages over SLRs when it comes to using old glass. The first is that the flange distance allows almost any SLR lens to be used as well as many ones meant for rangefinders. Another important facet is that the adapters are significantly bigger pieces of metal, making them easier to handle. I always hated my old Nikon F to Canon EF adapter, and in fact I threw it in the trash this afternoon (it was mostly broken.) From now on, the only manual lenses I will mount on any of my old EOS bodies will be M42 ones. I also bought a pile of PK and MD rear lens caps (I had like 2 total) as well as some 49mm front caps. There was a time, say, 1974, when 49mm was an industry standard filter size. Another win for the boomers, I suppose. After this lengthy indexing project, I tackled a 70s Tamron Adapt-A-Matic 135mm F/2.8 I got for a whopping $5. As the name would suggest, the Adapt-A-Matic series of lenses had swappable rear mounts and could be adapted to a variety of popular brands. Tamron now has a similar "Adaptall" that works with more modern bodies. The 135mm I have came with an adapter I still have not identified (nor will I, it's now in the trash.) I found a Nikon F adapter on Ebay, which cost many times what the lens itself did. Given that the system is over 50 years old, I felt lucky to find it. As I mentioned above, I've had back luck with my Nikon F to Canon EF adapter, and it was with this Tamron that I finally gave up on it. I did manage a few photos with the combination. Greetings from the Vineyard, November, 2023! I've had that middle finger carving for 40 years now. I told a guy I went to school with at the time that I had it and not only did he not believe me, he mercilessly mocked me. To this day, I still have not forgiven him, but I digress. The Tamron is actually quite a nice lens, optically. The truth is it's not that difficult to make a good 135mm and many companies have done it. It's also the truth that I have far more 135mm primes than any sane person would ever need, including the mushroom cloud laying MFer that is Canon EF 135mm F/2L. Also, as an side, I'm now uploading photos straight to HC. In spite of the fact that I pay Flickr $150 dollars every two years, they apparently can't reliably host photos in 2026. What was I saying? Oh yeah. The problem with the Adapt-A-Matic is that the Nikon end for the Tamron doesn't appear to have a set screw and it doesn't stay on the lens as well as I'd like. The stacked adapters made the entire arrangement feel very loose and sloppy, especially when adjusting focus or aperture (which, you know, one does rather often with a fully manual lens.) All of this is less of an issue with the chonky Nikon F to Canon RF adapter. The end result is that I'm keeping the Tamron 135mm. 2026 greetings from MV! Some things never change. The lighting conditions were significantly better in 2023. Also, it was raining today and I'm not entirely sure how weatherproof the R5 II is with a manual lens attached to it and TBH I don't want to find it out. Also also, in the 90s I was hugely into ska. In 1997 I bought a compilation of instrumental ska tracks. On it is a cover of Ghost Riders in the Sky by The Rhyth-o-matics. The name of the Adapt-A-Matic has been making me think of it all day. It's a lot of fun, except for the kind of cheesy "SNL closing credits" solo in the middle. I actually have a time corrected version of this I've played on Test Tone a few times.

I don't know if any of y'all are following Fender's attempts at overly litigious...litigiousness, but PRS introduced the Silver Sky DeFender series, LOL.

Oberschoßhundführer Drumpf For a Dr. Strangelove or Catch-22 style satire, the slur should sound absurdly bureaucratic, aggressively hyphenated, and entirely mock-serious. Since it is a derogatory term used by other characters rather than an official rank, it should bite—exposing the leader's cowardice while mocking their delusions of grandeur. Here are a few satirical, German-style slurs tailored to your two-faced, sell-out head of state: The "Sell-Out" & "Traitor" Angles Oberausverkäufer (Oh-ber-owss-fehr-koy-fer) Meaning: Chief Clearance-Sale Director or Supreme Sell-Out. Satirical punch: It treats the betrayal of an entire nation like a cheap retail liquidation event. Oberkollaborateur (Oh-ber-koh-lah-boh-rah-tehr) Meaning: High-Command Collaborator. Satirical punch: It uses high-sounding military phrasing to call them a spineless Quisling who does the enemy's paperwork. Oberrückgratloser (Oh-ber-ruek-grah-tloh-ser) Meaning: Supreme Leader of the Spineless. Satirical punch: Pure bureaucratic mockery of his absolute lack of courage. The "Puppet" & "Lackey" Angles Oberbückling (Oh-ber-buek-ling) Meaning: Chief Bootlicker / Grand Bower. Satirical punch: "Bückling" comes from the verb to bow or grovel. It positions him as the world's highest-ranking sycophant. Oberpantoffelheld (Oh-ber-pahn-tof-fel-helt) Meaning: Supreme Slipper-Hero (Henpecked Leader). Satirical punch: A classic German idiom for someone who acts tough but is completely submissive behind closed doors to their actual master. Oberschoßhundführer (Oh-ber-shoss-hund-fuehrer) Meaning: Commander of the Lapdogs. Satirical punch: It highlights that he thinks he is a "Führer," but he is actually just a tiny pet to the dictator. The "Nihilist / Clown" Angles Obertheaterdirektor (Oh-ber-tay-ah-ter-dee-rek-tor) Meaning: Chief Director of the Theater. Satirical punch: Fits the Dr. Strangelove vibe perfectly, mocking his entire geopolitical strategy as a fraudulent, deadly stage play. And I stand by: he's laying the groundwork to get the USA invaded by Russia, whether intentional or not.

Since you are looking to create custom, dramatic titles in the style of SS ranks, you can combine the prefix Ober- (Senior/Chief) and the suffix -führer (Leader/Director) with actual German words for your concepts. Here are the most linguistically accurate and natural-sounding German versions for your ideas: 1. The "Chief Betrayer" (Ober-betrayal-führer) Oberverräterführer (Oh-ber-fehr-ray-ter-fuehrer) Literal breakdown: Ober (Senior) + Verräter (Betrayer/Traitor) + Führer (Leader). Vibe: Sounds like the absolute head of a spy ring or a treasonous coup. 2. The "Master Puppeteer" (Ober-puppet-führer) Obermarionettenführer (Oh-ber-mah-ree-oh-net-en-fuehrer) Literal breakdown: Ober (Senior) + Marionette (String Puppet) + Führer (Leader). Vibe: Perfect for a shadow-government villain who controls everything from behind the scenes. 3. The "Leader of Nothingness" (Ober-nihilism-führer) Obernihilistenführer (Oh-ber-nee-hee-lis-ten-fuehrer) Literal breakdown: Ober (Senior) + Nihilist (Nihilist) + Führer (Leader). Vibe: Sounds like the grim commander of a faction dedicated to pure destruction or chaos. 💡 Tips for Making Your Own If you want to invent more, the formula generally follows: Ober + [German noun in plural or combining form] + führer. Are these words for a fictional story, a game, or a character biography? If you tell me a bit more about the villain's personality or role, I can help you brainstorm an even more specific or sinister title!

It's pleasingly golden.

Some random Russian chick singing in her car

Surprisingly funky outing from Echo & The Bunnymen in these latter days?

I asked my local AI the same question , and suggested the stylus plugin and this script for the home page @-moz-document url("https://www.head-case.org/forums/"), url("https://www.head-case.org/forums") { /* * HEAD-CASE — COMPACT FORUM HOMEPAGE * * Trial stylesheet: selectors are not verified against * Head-Case's live HTML. * * Applies only to the two homepage URLs above. */ /* 1. Replace forum grids with a single-column list. Only target lists containing forum-category links. */ :is(.ipsData, .ipsDataList):has(a[href*="/forums/forum/"]) { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; gap: 6px !important; } /* 2. Remove fixed heights and excessive row spacing. */ :is(.ipsData, .ipsDataList):has(a[href*="/forums/forum/"]) > :is(.ipsData__item, .ipsDataItem) { width: 100% !important; max-width: none !important; min-height: 0 !important; height: auto !important; margin-block: 0 !important; padding: 10px 12px !important; box-sizing: border-box !important; } /* 3. Hide decorative forum cover-image containers. Do not hide all images: avatars and posted pictures should remain untouched. */ :is(.ipsData__item, .ipsDataItem) :is(.ipsData__image, .ipsDataItem_image) { display: none !important; } /* 4. Let the text area use the space left by the image. */ :is(.ipsData__item, .ipsDataItem) :is(.ipsData__main, .ipsDataItem_main) { flex: 1 1 auto !important; min-width: 0 !important; width: auto !important; min-height: 0 !important; padding-block: 0 !important; } /* 5. Clear any reserved image-column layout. Keep information arranged in a simple vertical stack. */ .ipsData__item:has(a[href*="/forums/forum/"]) { display: flex !important; flex-direction: column !important; gap: 4px !important; aspect-ratio: auto !important; } /* 6. Keep forum titles readable without oversized headings. */ :is(.ipsData__item, .ipsDataItem) :is(.ipsData__title, .ipsDataItem_title) { font-size: 17px !important; line-height: 1.35 !important; margin-block: 0 4px !important; } /* 7. Tighten descriptions without shrinking their text. */ :is(.ipsData__item, .ipsDataItem) :is(.ipsData__desc, .ipsDataItem_meta) { line-height: 1.45 !important; margin-block: 2px !important; } /* 8. Slightly smaller padding on phones. */ @media (max-width: 700px) { :is(.ipsData, .ipsDataList):has(a[href*="/forums/forum/"]) > :is(.ipsData__item, .ipsDataItem) { padding: 8px 10px !important; } } } Before: After: HTML Jockeys may be able to do a better job, but the advantage is its client side, so your choice, fairly easy to implement, and reversible Add the Stylus plugin / extension to your browser Go to the Head Case forum page - or whatever page is annoying you Click on the Stylus extension icon in your toolbar (click on the + to) Add a Style for the Website / URL in Question Paste the above code in Save re visit / refresh the site See the before and after by noting that the Stylus icon has 1 rule applied for the page, and by clicking on it you can toggle it on or off More design oriented people could have a deeper, better conversation with their AI of choice, but not bad for a first vibe coded attempt?

Finished Setup: 4 PSUs on GaN transistors 27.5V, bias 180mA. Sound impression: completely reference, lively and interesting, full control of my headphones HifiMan HE-6. For my ears better then DynaMight. Thanks to all who helped with configuration.

Noctunes by Clemens Christian Poetzsch (2026) https://open.qobuz.com/album/b7bml0e1lj9ti Example: New release - It is pretty, but sometimes I feel a little too mellow. Almost took a nap, but that maybe just a me problem. I mean they are Noctunes (their spelling) after all.

One of the members of the world's favorite trio of motorist jackasses bought himself a Series III and has a lot to say about it. "Then why didn't you get a Defender?"

Free custom firmware for anyone still with a Canon 5D MkI coming soon: @latentritual on Instagram The Ritual — a revolutionary darkroom for your raw files ‎The Moment by Latent Studios App - App Store

"Reality is the ultimate luxury." God, I hope not. "Every curve, every dial, every surface is crafted to be not just functional, but genuinely beautiful. This isn't just a camera, it's a physical expression of our philosophy: uncompromising, premium and tactile, a piece of art that happens to take extraordinary photographs." I wish them luck and of course the m43 community is actively looking for best cases for the sensor size (see L10 above), but reminder if you're comfortable with semi-similar feature set (no IBIS, no hot/cold shoe, with internal storage, aluminum unibody) the Sigma BF is also available for $2K, though will be obviously using larger lenses being FF and no viewfinder.

Got an update on this yesterday after apparently signing up for a mailing list a year ago: Esquisse Camera A new mini-ish camera (105×70×35mm 300g body, Micro 4/3 sensor, M4/3 lens mount) for $2K Too little (pun intended), too late? Or just what Ric needs? 🤪

Sharon Horgan/Sharon Horgan/Sharon Horgan's Youth

Rushadicus - Night of the Jick Beast. He opened for The Residents last night. He is a kind of avant-garde industrial cellist. He plays an electric/amped cello that he wears strapped like a guitar over his shoulder. He fit right in with the Residents, and was actually quite athletic. He even climbed up to the venue's rafters and played a song from there! Quite the performance! Examples: Link to my video of him climbing the rafters: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17UhZY7JwLK3VvXqPgHdk6_V7QmB6q-Vz/view?usp=sharing

BABE: ELABORATIO A Tribute To My Mother by Harry Connick Jr. (2026) https://open.qobuz.com/album/goywb8175ywcg Example; Another Classical work from a Piano player. Orchestral this time. I really like it, Gershwinesk. The third movement (3/3) is my personal fav. Orchestra Victoria is the backing players.

Troye Sivan's She's the Best Ex. And as videos go...

Unholy carp!

Russia's Yandex bot traffic nearly eliminated overnight after Ukraine drone strikes cripple multiple of 'Russia's Google' data centers — Ukraine intensifies bombing of Yandex data centers in response to Moscow’s strikes on Kyiv data centers. Ha ha. Get fucked-ski.

First post here, just want to share pictures of Carbon I built. My goal is as small as it can be. Use c3m0900170m instead of c2m1000170d (to-3pf version of c3m0900170d), lm4040-10 instead of lt1021-10, ksc5042m instead of ksc5026m, 2sc2705 instead of pzta42 (easy to buy from local shop). Two output sockets from Stax for pro bias and normal bias. It runs at 400V, 20mA. Heatsink temperature is about 55°C after an hour (ambient temperature is around 24°C). No short, no magic smoke, everything seems fine. 🙂

I figured it was worth its own thread to look at these aftermarket cables that have popped up. Now I don't really want to be a part of the whole cable mess but with electrostatics it is rather simple... the main component is capacitance. The cable will always add some and it determines how hard the entire system is to drive. So TLDR, more capacitance... everything is worse. The amp has to work much harder to try and push current into the top and bottom end. As a baseline, I tested a spare SR-X1 driver I had here and between the +/- inputs it is right on 40pF. We want to keep this as low as possible to keep the load low. So first off we have this ebay find, staight out of China: I was roughly 130$ shipped for the 2.5M version but I've seen them go for a lot more than that. It has the off the shelf Stax connectors on either end and they are nice enough quality. The wire is the cheapest, thinnest crap possible though. As a comparison the plan was to use a SR-X1/007S/009D cable but I only found a SRE-725 extension cable. Same length at 2.5m but is might be a tiny bit worse as the flat ribbon needs to connect to the Stax socket on the other end with wires will cross a bit doing that. Should be a small one but worth noting. I tested between the L+ and L- (I also compared against the R+ and R- but it should read the same) using a basic Uni-T capacitance meter at 1kHz. Both cables strewn out as long as they go on a wooden floor so minimal impact from that. So first off, here is the Stax SRE-725: That is 0.061nF or 61pF. Not bad and what I'd expect from the Wide PC-OCC cables. Now here we have the ebay cable... That is 0.46nF or 460pF. Yeah... that is not great is it. So as a comparison, the whole system capacitance with the Stax cable is 101pF, with the ebay cable it is 500pF. Yeah... this is utterly terrible and will make the headphones sound terrible. Now a second possible issue is how much voltage can the cable withstand. Again here we are hooked up to the L+ and L- simply because those pins are the easiest to get to with the large clips. This cable passes at 1500V with flying colors, almost 30 seconds and at almost 6 gigaohms so no issues there. I'm guessing this is actually double insulated as there is not a whole lot of wire in there.