The world of audiophiles is the dark side not everyone can handle. Suddenly you care about everything: the way your speakers stand, the way your walls reflect sound, the amount of strands in your wire, and so on. It can be tiring, but the end result is too rewarding to go back. This spring FiiO introduced their new product: the FiiO LL-RD 2024. It’s a headphone cable that costs about $200. That’s it.
Some might scoff at a US$199.99-dollar cable, but I am not the one to laugh at a quality-made accessory. It’s a steep price for a casual listener but it indicates that the product is well-made and will serve you for many years. And if that still doesn’t make any sense to you, you just might not be the target audience here.
Specs
The FiiO LL-RD 2024 headphone cable utilizes high-end audiophile-grade pure monocrystalline silver as its conductor material. The cable has a total of 400 cores across 4 strands (the box actually mentions 392 wires, but I’ve been assured that it’s an honest mistake), with a 24AWG cross-sectional area. The larger cross-section of the silver wires effectively reduces resistance and minimizes signal transmission loss.
The LL-RD 2024 cable is coaxially braided, with each of the 4 main strands containing 6 smaller strands made of 14 wires each. Additionally, a special smaller strand composed of 16 wires is added to each of the main strands, resulting in positive and negative poles of 200 cores per main strand. This braiding technique, along with the use of high-purity silver, enhances conductivity.
Read also: FiiO FT3 32 Ω Review: Flagship Headphones That Won’t Break the Bank
The LL-RD 2024 comes standard with swappable 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced plugs. The fact that it’s swappable is indeed cool and very convenient. One thing of note: while the FT3 headphones included the 4.4 mm female to 6.35 mm male adapter, the FiiO LL-RD 2024 does not: you only get two plugs. Which is a bit of a letdown considering the price.
Read also: Teenage Engineering OB-4 review: Gimmicky in the best way possible
Verdict
The FiiO LL-RD 2024 caters to a specific yet dedicated demographic. While casual listeners may not perceive a significant difference from standard headphone cables, audiophiles seeking to unlock the full potential of their high-end equipment will find the LL-RD 2024 a compelling upgrade. Its focus on superior sound quality and long-lasting construction makes it a worthy investment for the discerning audio enthusiast.