Pair ups.

Here is how I hear EA Chiron pairs up with different IEMs in comparison to their stock cables. In this test I was using LPGT, M9, and N8ii as my main sources, 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 a specific 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.

Aroma Jewel

Stock (SPC or GPS?) to Chiron – the soundstage expansion is very noticeable, feels like the sound went from an average width 2D to a holographic 3D. The bass sounds nearly the same, just a little more rumble in sub-bass. The mids are more revealing, micro-detailed, yet still remain natural, just a bit less organic. Treble has another noticeable change with more sparkle and airiness which helps to open up the sound. Also, in comparison to heavy microphonics and memory effect of the stock Jewel cable (which I’m not a fan of), Chiron is “quiet” and pliable.

Oriolus Traillii

stock 1960 4W to Chiron – Relative to its stock 1960 4wire cable, with Chiron the soundstage of the Bird gets wider, and even imaging is improved when you focus on placement of instruments and vocals. The bass impact and extension are similar, and you still get that low end analog texture which always surprises me considering BA bass drivers. I do hear with Chiron the mids and the vocals to be more forward, even with some added body, but at the same time vocals are more revealing and transparent, especially in upper mids. The treble has more sparkle as well. With Traillii, Chiron brings higher resolution and more transparency to the sound, while its stock cable gives the sound more analog smoother tonality.

Empire Ears Odin

stock 1960 2W to Chiron – It goes without saying that you should expect a wider soundstage when switching to Chiron. In this particular example, the imaging between stock and Chiron are perceived the same, but stock cable soundstage expansion is not as wide. The biggest change here is right in your face – the bass! The bass gets more elevated, from sub-bass to mid-bass, shifting the overall signature from more mid-forward to more w-shaped balanced. Mids/vocals are a bit smoother and gained a bit more body. Treble remained the same. I enjoyed this pair up as well.

FirAudio XE6

Stock Scorpion-C (copper) to Chiron – Again, as expected, the soundstage is wider when switching to Chiron cable. But I also noticed that with Chiron cable the mids/vocals are no longer as far out of your head, thus imaging has been updated with sound elements placement spreading wider, rather than deeper. The bass is as deep and as powerful, but with Chiron I hear more control with a little shorter decay of bass notes. As already mentioned, with Chiron the mids/vocals are positioned closer to you which elevated their quantity and helped with introduction of more clarity and better retrieval of details. Treble is identical between these two cables.

Vision Ears Phoenix

stock 4wire (silver/gold alloy & copper) to Chiron – The soundstage width is a lot wider with Chiron vs stock cable, and the improvement in imaging is also quite noticeable. Plus, there are more improvements I have found. For example, with Chiron I hear a deeper bass rumble, being deeper and more elevated. Also, with Chiron the lower mids have more body and even being a little more forward. Upper mids are as revealing (in detail retrieval) and at the same time a touch smoother (in tonality) with Chiron in comparison to Pho’s stock cable. And due to this improvement in upper mids, I hear treble to sound more natural as well.

Page 3 – Comparisons, and Conclusion w/Sound Analysis.