Comparisons.

Consistent with my cable testing philosophy, I used the same IEMs (Aroma Jewel) and the same source, and only changed one variable at a time to note the sound difference I hear while keeping volume matched. Keep in mind, I’m describing how a particular IEM sound compares between Chiron and other cables.

Chiron vs EA Centurion – Chiron has a little wider soundstage, similar depth and height but the left/right spread is wider. Also, very similar bass response down to sub-bass rumble, Centurion mids are a little brighter, especially in upper mids which makes the sound more revealing while Chiron is a little smoother. And the same with Chiron treble, being a little more natural in comparison to more crunch and sparkle I hear with Centurion treble.

Chiron vs EA Horus X – I hear a very similar soundstage expansion. HX has a bit more rumble in sub-bass, mids are smoother in Chiron due to a little more body in lower mids and a bit more musicality in upper mids, while treble is very similar.

Chiron vs PWA First Times – relative to Jewel, Chiron has a bit wider soundstage in comparison to FT, more width and better imagining (more holographic). Chiron tonality is a little more revealing in upper frequencies in comparison to First Times. Chiron helps in retrieval of details and adds more sparkle to treble, while First Time makes the sound more analog and smoother. The bass response is very similar, though relative to Jewel there is a bit more rumble with FT.

Chiron vs Eletech Illiad – And again, I found Chiron to have a wider soundstage with a more holographic imaging. The bass response is very similar between these two, the same extension, rumble, and impact. Lower mids are similar as well, but upper mids and treble are slightly brighter and more revealing with Chiron, and smoother and more organic with Illiad.

Chiron vs PlusSound PPH8 – PPH8 is usually my go-to cable for the widest soundstage, but Chiron was able to edge it in soundstage width when used with Jewel. And they both exhibit a similar holographic imaging. When it comes to the bass, PPH8 has a deeper sub-bass rumble, while both have a similar impact. Mids have a fuller body using PPH8, while more revealing, especially in upper mids, with Chiron. And the same with treble, where Jewel had more sparkle and brighter treble with Chiron, while having a smoother treble with PPH8.

Conclusion.

With many different IEMs used in testing of Chiron, I found this new EA cable to introduce a noticeable improvement in a perception of soundstage expansion and imaging. Basically, sound expands in width, depth, and height, and with such expansion, the imaging has a more 3D holographic positioning of instruments and vocals in space. Furthermore, the cable also offers a unique finetuning which helps to extract more microdetails without making the sound too bright or harsh, to give the sound more transparency without coloring. The cable has a revealing nature, where it reveals more details without artificial brightness. Those are the main and the strongest points of its performance, soundstage expansion and transparent natural retrieval of microdetails.

And in my traditional final thought disclaimer, no, it will not change or transform the sound signature of your IEMs if you are not happy with its tuning to begin with. There is no magic “EQ” button or fairy dust behind the cable. If you are not happy with the sound signature of your pair of IEMs, get another one with a different sound sig. And you have to be realistic, Chiron will not turn $100 IEM into $3.1k flagship. But if you already invested into high end flagship IEMs and want to finetune their sound by extracting every last ounce of the performance, especially the soundstage expansion and retrieval of microdetails, Chiron deserves a serious consideration. I’m still cable rolling Chiron between Jewel, Traillii, and Odin, and all 3 pair-ups sound great!