Concept:

DNA is made up of two "complementary" strands, mirror images of one another. Together, they form a stable molecule. The "Complement" balanced cable from DHC uses an unprecedented design to keep the audio signals for left and right separated and protected from harm from headphone to amplifier by using two separate cables. Other types of cable layout and geometry attempt to prevent crosstalk between channels, but cannot match the physical separation and electrical isolation that the Complement provides.

Design:

Two separate braids of proprietary design for left and right channels, incorporating cotton anti-static damping and teflon air tube dielectric spacing

Choice of Nucleotide cryo OCC copper wire or OCC 7N deep cryo treated solid core silver option - the only OCC silver headphone cable on the market today

Real carbon fiber semiconductor layer for static dispersal and vibration damping

Super-thin mylar foil shielding against low-frequency interference and copper braid for iron-curtain isolation from high-frequency noise - don't let your cable become an antenna for signals traveling through the air! The Complement is the most protected cable on the market today...

ERS paper treatment is the last word against signal pollution - a high-tech material that is a black hole for unwanted noise. Strategic placement allows noise entering the cable near the XLR plugs to be absorbed and reflected.

 

Choice of Ultra styles - the most exotic visuals we can muster - click for details

Clear Teflon outer braided sleeving layer for smooth, slick feel and ultimate durability, soft "super nylon" sleeving for plush comfort, or Reflex reflective sleeving for maximum bling

Terminated with Furutech FP601 top-line XLR plugs - PVDF teflon dielectric with rhodium plated beryllium copper pins - the ultimate

Custom HD800 earcup connectors

All parts ultrasonically cleaned prior to soldering and treated with Caig Progold conductivity enhancing spray

Extensively tested by hand and broken in, guaranteed for life - no questions asked

While the Furutech XLR plugs are a favorite, we carry other exotic terminations such as the Xhadow Precision, Oyaide Focus 1 or Bocchino BAXLR

This cable was tested and designed on a system with a computer feeding uncompressed WAV to a Sonicweld Diverter USB to BNC device, DHC's top USB and BNC cables (fully custom), Audio-GD Reference One DAC, and Audio-GD Phoenix with Sennheiser HD800 headphones. We only make cables that we can personally listen to and evaluate, and hand-test and burn in every cable we produce.

Listening notes for the silver Complement cable - extreme lifelike detail and greatly expanded soundstage on HD800. After 24-hour break-in period, supreme smoothness, rich and confident midrange, deep bass extension from musical mid-bass to subterranean notes, and delicate refined treble without a trace of sibilance. No fatigue after 3 hours behind the wheel in complete musical bliss and awe.

Price:

Buy online now from our webstore!

USPS Priority mail is included. Please add $30 for insured, overnight delivery in the US or EMS Express mail overseas.

We can do this cable for single-ended and have it be easily convertable to balanced later. The price would remain the same, and Furutech FP601 XLR plugs can be added later for $120 including parts, labor, and shipping.

Discounts do not apply for this cable.

Add $20 per foot for Ultra styles ($10/foot x 2 separate cables). Soft black nylon is standard, and is supremely comfortable - quickly becoming the industry standard for headphone cables.

 

Complement Cable FAQ

Q: Why the heck is it 2 cables?
A: For twice the fun. No, in all seriousness, when there are 4 wires together in a headphone cable, regardless of fancy geometry and what have you, there is the potential for electromagnetic interaction between left and right channels. As current travels through any wire it generates a magnetic field around the wire, and cable geometry can only go so far in preventing inductive effects. Separating left and right into their own cables is the only logical step towards preventing this from happening. Besides protecting the channels from each other, this is the most thoroughly shielded and dampened cable for headphones that money can buy, with complete immunity to electromagnetic, electrostatic, and vibrational interference - the cable is protected from anything the outside world can throw at it.

Q: Why am I seeing it here first?
A: Sometimes you have to think outside the box to do something right. While it is unusual to have a dual headphone cable, and adds an insane amount of extra work to the equation that would put most companies off, it is worthwhile when you enjoy the newfound capabilities of the HD800.

Q: Can I have the Complement for other headphones?
A: We can do one of these for HD650/600 if you love yours enough to spend $700 on a cable for them - no sweat. Other headphones will require hardwiring making this less feasible.

Q: Is this sort of cable comfortable?
A: Each cable is no heftier than a typical XLR interconnect. You have 2 cables coming down across your chest instead of 1. A problem? I think not.

Q: How big is this cable?
A: These cables have a substantial feel to them, but they are flexible and manageable. I listen to mine for hours every day, no complaints - and I have the silver/gold styled cables you see below rather than the softer, more flexible black nylon that is standard. I'm still a happy camper.

Q: Why so expensive?
A: When you make the Complement cable, you are making 2 separate cables. It takes so long to make one that I have to work in shifts, assembling the layers by hand. The materials are not just expensive, but require extreme care to handle. A lot of love goes into these, and when you hear them you will know it.

Q: How about for my single ended gear?
A: We now offer the Complement SE cable for single-ended amplifiers. There is a 1-time fee of $120 including parts, labor, and shipping to convert your single-ended Complement cable to having Furutech FP601M rhodium XLR plugs if you choose to go balanced.

Q: Can I get a cable as awesome as the Complement for other stuff?
A: Absolutely. Just let me know what sort of connection you are trying to make, and we can work out the details. My "Chaperone" RCA/XLR interconnects and my "Prion" iPod LOD are built to the standards of my Complement headphone cable. The design of the Complement cable can be applied to exotic speaker cables, as well.

my own Complement cable: with Motherlode styling for left and Black Ice styling for right channels!