Interview: Kris Cables – Maker of Handcrafted Custom USB, Audio and PC cables

Hi, please introduce yourself.

Hello. My name is Cristian. I am 28 years old DIY maker, modder and programmer from Portugal.

Tell us about your audiophile journey.

My audiophile journey started back in 1995 with dance/pop bands like Modern Talking, Joy and Fancy. I was using my father’s Compact Cassettes and his car “stereo system” 🙂

In 2001, my parents bought a Motorola v120 mobile phone. Every time I was allowed to use it, I went to the roof of our house to catch better the radio stations and stay there for hours enjoying my favorite dance tunes.

I was really impressed with the audio quality that mobile phone and headphones were delivering.

In 2004, my mother bought me some portable disc player that broke when I got my first computer in 2005. From 2005 to 2010, I was a big fan of Trance music, collecting every Tiesto’s album, live sets etc on my PC.

Bought my first DAC and AMP in January 2015, the Schiit Stack: Magni Uber 2 + Modi Uber 2. For about 1 month I was using them with Creative Aurvana Live! headphones, that I already have been using for about a year with Audirvana Plus player on my MacBook. In February, I bought Sennheiser HD 598 that I still use sometimes for classical or instrumental music.

This year 2018, I added to my collection V-Moda Wireless and Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO headphones. Sennheiser HD 6XX are on my wishlist and probably next to be added to my collection.

What is your current setup?

Current setup is: Audirvana Plus + 2015 MacBook Pro > Magni Uber 2 + Modi Uber 2 > one of my custom cables out of Mogami 2893 > HD598 or V-Moda or DT 990 Pro

What audiophile-related stuff are currently working on?

• Modding the Schiit Stack to add Noctua 40mm in each for cooling. Not needed and probably overkill, but I wanted them cooled.
• Modify the DT 990 Pro to be detachable and be able to use some of my custom cables.
• Making custom cables for customers and friends.

What motivated you to start kriscables?

The generic black cable wasn’t really a great fit for a custom mechanical keyboard that I was building.

I tried searching for one but didn’t find anything appealing to my taste and wallet.

I decided to buy materials and learn/build a few. My friends really liked the work and bought from me some too. After sharing my work on the local forum, I was asked to build more. This is how Kris Cables was born.

How did you learn to make custom cable?

I searched a ton, talked with other people and a lot of trial and error.

Any advice for people who wants to buy a custom cable?

• Search for the feedback of the custom cable builder on forums, Reddit etc before buying.
• Analyze materials that he/she is using, the build quality and their previous works.
• Which and how many channels can you contact the builder. Does the builder provide after-sale customer support? These are the main points/questions you have to know before, almost, any type of purchases.

Where can we go to find out more Kris Cables?

• On my website (https://kriscables.tumblr.com/), you can find all the sleeves available, connectors, prices, work gallery and more info about me.
• On my Discord, I can answer almost instantly any question or help with any other special order details. My handle is @rundeploy#0862, my channel is https://discordapp.com/invite/d5s8e8C .
• On my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kriscables/), I have the most complete gallery of my work and collaborations.
• Another alternative is emailing me: kriscables at gmail.com.