Molecule E Headphone Cable for Stax

Description

Last year, DHC took on a novel challenge – can what we know to be true about traditional headphone cables be applied to estats?  We made many prototypes and conferred with X9000 owners in our friends circle to answer this question with a resounding YES!  Molecule E is finally available to order – the world’s first aftermarket Stax cable.

Fits Stax SR-L500MK2, SR-L700MK2, SR-X1, and SR-X9000 — all Stax with the dual 3-pin detachable cable type.  DOES NOT FIT HARDWIRED STAX like 009, 007. 

Starting from scratch.  Nobody has attempted this because these cables are demanding to build.  There are no Stax connectors to buy.  We hand-modeled the OEM connectors down to 0.01mm tolerance, one polygon at a time, using the latest 3D-printed nylon fusion for mass production.  Amphenol female pins were hand-set into the connectors, and the finished product fits better than stock.  For the amp end, we use the original Amphenol telecom-grade 5 pin DIN connectors – ultra durable and industry standard.

Two forms.  DHC’s 22awg OCC copper litz – a new wire for 2024 – offers an ultra-durable dark-tinted insulation and our most refined OCC copper yet.  The six-wire electrostatic layout uses dual tri-twist geometry to minimize capacitance while being dramatically more ergonomic and wearable than the stock cable.  To push X9000 to their limits, we offer the new Elite22 wire from our 2024-revision Molecule Elite OCC silver litz cable – the absolute best possible wire for the job, and the best match to Stax headphones.  From the first time we made A/B comparisons in testing, the improvements were painfully obvious – this was a cable that needed to happen.

Testing & qualification.  The design process was done alongside original Stax cables, Stax headphones, and measurement equipment.  We ensured that the cables had close electrical properties to stock, while improving performance wherever possible.  DHC’s finely-stranded OCC silver and copper litz wires in an isolated dual-cable layout provides better channel separation, staging, and crosstalk vs. the stock cable, while adding the detail and realism of DHC’s custom wires.