Pair ups.
Here is how I hear EA Centurion pairs up with different IEMs in comparison to their stock cables. In this test I was using LPGT as a neutral reference source, volume matched, and playing the selection of my usual test tracks, such as Agnes Obel “The curse”, Sandro Cavazza “So much better” (Avicii remix), C-Bool “Never go away”, Ed Sheeran “Shape of you”, Counting Crows “Big yellow taxi”, Galantis “Hunter”, Alan Walker “Darkside”, Iggy Azalea “Black widow”, Indila “Boite en argent”, Robin Schultz “Oh child”, Dua Lipa “Love again”, David Elias “Vision of her”, and Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana”.
Please keep in mind, I’m describing the sound of IEM paired with a specific cable, driven from LPGT source. I don’t want to imply that cable will have a drastic EQ-like effect on the sound of IEM. Based on what I’m hearing, cable can finetune the sound, but if you find the original signature of IEM to be not your cup of tea, no cable alone will fix that.
Oriolus Traillii
stock 1960 4W to Centurion – I spent a lot of time focusing on stock 1960 4W vs Centurion cables. The bass impact and the extension were not as impacted (no pun intended). But I still hear the bass notes decay to be shorter with Cent which gives bass more speed and articulation, and makes the rhythm a little snappier. With 1960 4W bass has more analog flavor. Treble perception is very similar in Traillii between these two cables, having more sparkle and air in upper frequencies. But the mids and the rendering of vocals with 1960 4W is smoother and a little more laidback in comparison to a more revealing and micro-detailed sound with Centurion. It is all about micro-tuning and extracting more details when you go between stock 1960 4W and Centurion cables.
Vision Ears Erlkonig
stock 8wire silver to Centurion – maybe not by a huge factor, but I do hear the soundstage being more holographic and wider with Cent. The depth/height are the same, but the width is noticeably wider, with more left/right spread in comparison to a stock cable. Another change is in mids becoming more revealing and more micro detailed while the sound still remains natural and maintains its fuller body. It just feels like mids/vocals opened up more. Also, a noticeable change was in a blacker background and a tighter sound when switching to Centurion cable.
Empire Ears Odin
stock 1960 2W to Centurion – I don’t hear as much change in soundstage expansion here, sounds similar to my ears between stock 1960 2W and Cent. In terms of tonality and sound signature, Cent brings upper mids more forward, making them a little brighter and more revealing. And the same with treble, giving it a little more crunch and sparkle. In comparison, stock 1960 2W has a more subtle and natural effect on vocals and treble. This reminded me of the change when going from 1960 2W to 4W, and the reason why I preferred 2W in pair up with EE Odin. So, in this pair up, I also preferred a stock cable.
64 Audio Fourte
stock SPC to Centurion – I know, this is not a fair comparison since 64 Audio comes with a cheap stock cable. But I have tried a number of cables with these IEMs in the past, and in many cases found the treble to be brighter and harsher. First of all, with Cent the Fourte soundstage expands more in width, giving imaging a more 3D holographic feel now. Another noticeable change is in lower mids, “fixing” the vocals, making them sound less boxy due to 800-900Hz bump in FR. Cent actually opened up Fourte mids with more natural detailed tonality and preserved its Tia treble without any drastic changes, still crisp and airy, and maybe even a touch more natural. Another noticeable change was in technical performance, with sound being tighter and background being blacker. Usually, I associate this change with sound becoming more digital and less analog, but in case of Fourte with Cent, it didn’t strip any “analog” sound texture, just made the background exceptionally black.
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