Sound Impressions.

Copper.

So what is the magic that keeps pulling people back in? To be honest, I can’t point it out, but it is definitely there. In terms of general characteristics the copper cable reminds me most of the Effect Audio hybrid Eros II cable in that it does not seem to do one thing really well, but instead seems to cause a number of smaller changes that together create a wonderfully symphonious result when paired with my Phantom. The copper has an uncolored characteristic that is much more refined than the stock Ares II cable. Despite both being copper cables, the copper Truth gives a more even result. It is more softly spoken due to a slightly less impactful bass and smoother treble. It also improves clarity, tonal transparency and increases in particular the width of the stage, yet a certain velvety smoothness is maintained that allows music to flow beautifully. The warm-natural tonality of the Phantom is maintained very well and it is a joy with classical music, as mid-range instruments retain the warm and somewhat lush quality I love with my Phantom. Excellent for some Beethoven, Paganini or Saint-Saëns.

Indeed Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre is great to illustrate what I mean with refinement and softly spoken nature of the Truth copper, as aspects such as the tonal transparency becomes especially clear with violin music. In Danse Macabre Saint-Saëns reworked the old concept of a “danse macabre”, the universality of death (we all dance into the grave together), into a musical poem where the violin took on the role of what in a spoken poem the words would be. The violin is thus the central instrument and it must be clear, articulate and transparent. This is what the copper Truth does really well. Compared to the stock Ares II, the copper Truth helps the Phantom to reveal more of the texture of the strings and the resonance in the body of the violin, conveying more of the playing techniques. This helps tremendously for the lead violin to give that dark lamenting feel, which is offset by almost cheerfully and full sounding flutes and very naturally sweet twinkling triangles to create this slightly comical yet profoundly macabre piece of music. (I love it!) Importantly, because it has this velvety smoothness the music flows beautifully. Details and textures come through, but not in your face, and that is exactly the main strength of the Phantom as well.

Herein, I feel, lies the strength of the copper Truth cable, that uncolored character that does not change anything specifically in the signature of the IEMs, but seems to improve across every aspect. It is one of those cables that I feel gets out of the way to let the IEMs shine. Is there then any reason for a silver version to exist? Well, the copper cable is as I said, quite softly spoken and when I switch from classical to the wonderful jazz of Caro Emerald it gives a wonderfully smooth and easy-going sound with my Phantom, but switching to the silver makes an awful lot of sense.

Silver.

The copper and silver Truth are really very close in their overall tonality and general character. Yet the differences, though not huge, are still notable. Well… I say not huge, there is one exception: Holy stage expansion Batman! The silver cable extends the stage width of my Phantom exceptionally far. The copper is no slouch there either, but the silver feels significantly wider. Quite possibly the widest I have heard with my Phantom. Much like the copper, the silver feels quite uncolored and does not produce significant changes in one particular area, but lots of smaller changes that really start to add up. There is again a refinement to the silver Truth, but this cable is not as softly spoken. The bass feels tighter, more impactful and more textured. The silver Truth too improves clarity, tonal transparency and has that velvety smoothness that seems even more pronounced than with the copper Truth. It compliments the warm-natural tonality of the Phantom really well, but also the capability of the Phantom to have that impactful and fun sound. Where with the copper I gravitated towards Beethoven, Paganini and Saint-Saëns, with the silver I go for Caro Emerald, Astronaut Ape and the Rolling Stones.

One of my favorite tracks with the Phantom is always the acoustic version of Caro Emerald’s Back it Up. It is a lively track, fun with a delicious double bass in it that the Phantom render really well, and of course it has the gorgeous vocals of the lady herself. Where the copper Truth is a step up from the stock Ares II, I feel the silver Truth does even better here. The double bass is more impactful, with an incredible texture to it and this adds more to the liveliness of the track. Caro’s voice too comes through a hint more clearly and strongly than with the copper.

The difference in bass impact is also especially noticeable with my favorite “brain massage” down-tempo EDM such as Astronaut Ape’s Awaredance, a track with a deep, rumbling bass that with the silver Truth feels like it is kneading away inside my brain. The Phantom, although not bass canons like their sibling Legend X, can still really produce an impactful bass, but this is lost a little with the more softly spoken copper. Again the differences are not huge, but since I am in the luxury position to have both around and can switch between them back-to-back it does become noticeable. More obvious is of course the stage width and this comes through really well with EDM tracks such as Carbon Based Lifeforms’ Neurotransmitter, which has these flowing sounds going through the soundscape from far left to far right. Combined with the velvety smoothness and impactful bass this produces a wonderfully immersive experience of sound flowing everywhere. There is lots of twinkling everywhere, although I find the treble a little more articulate and bright compared to the more natural and perhaps somewhat sweeter treble of the copper Truth. This is purely relative to each other, as the treble of the silver is still smooth and on the sweeter side, at least with my Phantom (different pairings can give different results).

Conclusions.

At the end of this review I have come to understand what it is about the Truth cables that keeps my friends buying them, selling them and then buying them back again. The sound is really one of the most pleasant I have had with the Phantom, but the springy nature of the cable is a real issue. I have been able to deal with it through tricks such as running the cable underneath a vest, but that should not be necessary with an aftermarket cable of this quality and price. Still, that sound is mighty nice!

Both Truth cables have more similarities than differences, as both feel uncolored and improve clarity, transparency and stage dimensions. The differences between them are mostly subtle, with the silver adding more stage width and being the more impactful of the two, while the copper perhaps has a slightly more natural tonality in the treble and a wonderfully easy-going character when paired with my Phantom. I really enjoyed using both cables, as they felt quite special. Perhaps a hint of black magic?