Author: Vinh Vu

Danacable Introduces Lazuli Rhapsody Headphone Cables

Based on input from our headphone aficionados, Danacable is introducing the Lazuli Rhapsody, a new line of headphone cables.

The Lazuli Rhapsody has the same wire complement as the Lazuli Ultra but uses a braided design with improved sonic performance and more flexibility (the Lazuli Ultra model is discontinued). The Rhapsody comes standard with Furutech connects, has two cloth-based sheathing options (all silver or all brown), and is available in 2-meter or 3-meter lengths.

Headphone.guru Gary Alan Barker gave the new Lazuli Rhapsody a “Two Thumbs Up” in a new review (Headphone.guru, September 2023): “The Danacable Lazuli Rhapsody Headphone Cable did everything a cable is supposed to do, improved clarity, dynamic range, and musicality without making a noticeable impact on timbre and tonal balance, in other words, it does not add its own sound to the mix.”

From now through the end of September, you can get a 15% discount on 2-meter Lazuli Rhapsody standard cables (US$ 1954 instead of US$ 2299).

Lazuli Rhapsody HF-SE for HifiMan and Other Headphones with 3.5mm Cup Connectors
Lazuli Rhapsody HF-SE for HifiMan and Other Headphones with 3.5mm Cup Connectors
Lazuli Rhapsody Adapter

Danacable at Capital Audiofest 2023

Danacable will be at Capital Audiofest 2023, November 10 through November 12, 2023, at the Twinbrook Hilton, 1750 Rockville Pike, in Rockville, Maryland.

Our exhibit will feature the DanaTone Head-Space headphone amplifier and Lazuli cables. The Head-Space was awarded Headphone.guru’s Amplifier of the Year, 2021. Headphone.guru also awarded a “2021 Product of the Year” to Danacable’s Lazuli Reference Plus.

This year’s Danacable exhibit will also feature our new headphone cable, the Lazuli Rhapsody. The Rhapsody uses a mix of silver and copper wires, in a braided design for better sonic performance and flexibility. It comes standard with Furutech connectors.

Lazuli Reference Plus HF for HifiMan Non-SE Headphones
New DanaTone Head-Space logo

Danacable and Danatone Garner Product of the Year Awards from Headphone.guru

Amplifier Product of the Year: Danatone’s Head-Space

“Listeners looking for the very best in reproduction will find the Head-Space is able to deliver exceptional performance for both speakers and headphones and competes with the best amplification out there whether its tube or solid-state” – Frank Iaccone, Headphone.guru 2021 Product of the Year Awards

Cable Product of the Year: Danacable’s Lazuli Reference Plus

“A serious contender for accessory of the year and gets my highest recommendation for enthusiasts who want to hear everything their transducer can produce.” – Frank Iaccone, Headphone.guru 2021 Product of the Year Awards, November 2021

The Danacable Lazuli Story: Which Lazuli Is Right for You?

Danacable introduced Lazuli cables for headphones at the SoCal CanJam in 2016. Our first Lazuli featured more than 600 individual strands of OFC copper Litz wires and was a hit at the show. After a direct A/B comparison between the Lazuli and the stock cable for the HifiMan HE-1000 headphones, show-goers universally agreed that the Lazuli represented a significant upgrade from the stock cable. Rave reviews soon followed from Jack Skowron of Headphone Guru , from Jay Luong of Audio Bacon, and from FLTWS on Head-Fi.

Capitalizing on that successful introduction, in October 2016, Dana Robbins came out with a Lazuli Reference cable that doubled the number of OFC copper wires to >1200 strands and created a buzz on the Head-Fi Forums. Danacable’s reputation as a leading after-market for hi-end headphones was reinforced by reviews by Dave Hanson of Enjoy The Music, by Gary Alan Barker and Peter Pialis of Headphone Guru. In March 2017, Jay Luong of Audio Bacon picked the Lazuli Reference as the best cable for Focal’s ever popular Utopia, establishing it as the go-to cable for the Utopia.

Not resting on his laurels, Dana came out with the Lazuli Ultra in early 2018 with even more OFC copper wires and a touch of silver for a more extended top end. It was featured in reviews by One Old Audiophile on Audio Bacon and FLTWS on Head-Fi.

In October 2018, at the Rocky Mountain Audiofest, Dana unveiled the top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art Lazuli Nirvana to universal praises by everyone who heard it. The Lazuli Nirvana is a hybrid design that builds on our experience with the Lazuli Ultra. It consists of 33% more copper than the Ultra and a full 100% more than the Reference, with the optimal complement of silver to achieve the lowest possible measurements of resistance, inductance, and capacitance. By adding more conductors we reduce the resistance and inductance, but the intra-capacitance within the signal and inter-capacitance between the L/R signals increase, which in turn affect the treble performance and limit the left to right separation.

With the weave design, the intra/inter signal capacitance is reduced by a factor of 40 to 1! With more copper and silver, the Nirvana has about 2.5% of the capacitance of the Lazuli Ultra and Lazuli Reference. As a result, the listener will hear the following effects:

  1. The highs are absolutely open and extended.
  2. The macro- and micro-details are there like never before.
  3. The soundstage is wider and deeper with even more focus.
  4. The bass response is deeper with even more control.
  5. The headphones will completely disappear, leaving the listener totally immersed in the music!

Reviews by Jay Luong of Audio Bacon and Eric Neff of Headphone Guru followed, further cementing Danacable as the ultimate after-market headphone cable of choice!

In 2021, we introduced two new headphones models:  The UltraLite for portable applications and the Lazuli Reference Plus, slotted in prices between the popular Lazuli Reference and the Lazuli Ultra.  Both the UltraLite and the Reference Plus have a combination of copper and silver wires that produces the best top-end extension while retaining the Danacable “house sound”.

As of January 2022, we have discontinued the original Lazuli category.  The UltraLite is now the entry-level Lazuli model.  We have started a new category for the Lazuli RAAL, designed specifically for RAAL headphones.

So which Lazuli cable is right for your headphones? The Lazuli UltraLite, starting at $799, is a good place to start to see if you like the “Lazuli” sound. The most popular model and a sweet spot in our product line is the Lazuli Reference, which starts at $999 for a 2-meter length. Most of our customers are quite happy with it for a long time. For more “laid-back” headphones like the Audeze LCD headphones, the silver in the Lazuli Reference Plus will add sparkles to the top frequencies.  If you want an even more extended top end, the Lazuli Ultra is the right choice. But if you only want the best performance from your hi-end headphones, the Lazuli Nirvana will put you in audio heaven.

Most importantly, to ensure that there is only one kind of Danacable customers – delighted ones – all Danacable products carry a 30-day money back guarantee (if you return the product within the 30-day period, you pay shipping both ways and the PayPal transaction fee on the refund).

Danacable Introduces the Lazuli RAAL cable

Back from a race at the Bonneville Salt Flats where he broke his own world record for a motorcycle with a side car, Dana Robbins has designed a Lazuli cable specifically for the RAAL SR1a Requisite headphones.

This new Lazuli cable has a unique all-copper construction that consists of 640 individual strands of two different gauges of OFC (oxygen free copper) Litz wires. It has a very low impedance, a must for good damping with a low-impedance driver like the RAAL.

With its minimal weight and super flexibility the Lazuli RAAL provides a non-intrusive wearing experience with unmatched sound quality.

For a limited time from September 15 to September 30, 2021, we offer US$ 150.00 off the retail price.

Danacable Lazuli Nirvana Introduced to Rave Reviews!

The Lazuli Nirvana provides a deep-rooted sense of musical immersion and envelopment. From a technical view, these qualities reminded me of an upgrade in amplification – more depth, better separation, more grip, and appreciable harmonic structure.

  

(The Lazuli Nirvana) deliver(s) what you are seeking; that last measure of transparency, air, and clarity that we all chase, but seldom find.

  

(the Nirvana) gives a more 3D like impression to instruments and vocalists with a good recording, almost a sculpted effect, especially with smaller sized chamber and Jazz music.

  

…at a lower level, their presence is complete, strong and precise and has a superb rendering. The mediums are thus highlighted and taken over, the voices become even more distinct and do not take second place. The treble is there and spins higher, sharper and finer, without any tension. Complete presence in fact of all tones and timbres. Obvious feeling of right balance and placement of stakeholders in space. And, by closing my eyes, I can imagine their spatial location…

  

Introducing the DanaTone Head-Space

New DanaTone Head-Space logo

At the RMAF 2016, we showed the prototype model of the new DanaTone Head-Space headphones amplifier to rave reviews. Dave Hanson of Enjoy The Music writes: “Arguably one of the most impressive products to debut at CanJam at RMAF was the yet-to-be-released DanaTone Head-Space amplifier (price TBD). Developed by Dana Robbins, who is best known for his fantastic lineup of cables, the Head-Space uses a proprietary selective current feedback technology to deliver tight and impactful bass, euphonic mids and well-controlled treble. The soundscape was quite spacious, with very precise variations in imaging depth, width and height. Through the HIFIMAN HE1000, the Head-Space exuded lush musicality without sacrificing an ounce of accuracy.”

On the Lazuli Reference cable, he adds: “I’ve done extensive testing with this cable (review forthcoming) and it offers the most beautiful, natural midrange and the absolute best bass of any cable I have ever tested. Combined with the Head-Space amplifier and the HIFIMAN HE-1000, the sound left very little to be desired.”

We will again be showing this setup at AXPONA in Chicago on April 21-23. Please be sure to stop by the Ear Gear Room to listen if you plan to attend AXPONA

Headphone.guru 2016 Accessory of the Year: Danacable Lazuli Reference

Headphone.guru 2016 Accessory of the Year: Danacable Lazuli Reference

Danacable’s Lazuli Reference headphone cable receives a 2016 Product of the Year award from Headphone.guru:

"It has long been the mantra of high-end audio that cables are as much an audio component as any other part of your system, and this also applies to headphone cables. More so than any other component, it is the job of the headphone cable to get out of the way and do nothing to the sound, letting the music through and Dana Cables Lazuli Reference Headphone Cables do an exemplary job of this, allowing all the resolution, dynamics and silence to pass through without slowing, congesting, compressing or adding tonal changes to the signal. More so than any other headphone, a reference headphone deserves a reference cable which is why we have made Dana Cables Lazuli Reference Headphone Cables our Accessory of the Year."

   – Gary Alan Barker

Gingko Audio/Danacables – Proud Sponsor of Astral Concert!

Jordan Dodson, Guitarist, at Astral Concert

We at Gingko Audio and Danacable are doing our part in supporting the arts.

We are sponsoring a classical concert on Sunday October 16, 2016 at the American Philosophical Society, Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

PROGRAM:

  • John Dowland A Fancy
  • Dai Fujikura Chance Monsoon
  • Bach Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro, BWV 998
  • Fernando Sor Fantaisie, Op. 56, “Souvenirs d’une soirée à Berlin”
  • Elliot Cole Bloom Suite
  • Jason Eckardt suspension/bridge (World premiere, made possible by Astral’s Micro-Commissioning program)
  • Roland Dyens Libra Sonatine

This fantastic program is a part of the Astral In Concert series featuring the best young talents in classical music. Astral is a non-profit organization whose mission is to discover the most promising classical musicians residing in the United States, assist their early professional career development, and present their world-class artistry to the community through concerts and engagement programs.

Learn more at www.astralartists.org!

Accolades Galore in 2015 and 2014

In the last 12 months, we have garnered many accolades, including several Best of Shows votes as well as Audio Oasis Awards: