Double the fun.

The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion.

Manufacturer website:  Effect Audio.

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Preamble.

This is my usual disclaimer before I start a cable review.  I’m aware that some people don’t believe in cables and have very strong opinion about it.  It’s not my intent to start an argument here.  Instead, I would like to share what I hear during my testing.  Perhaps, I can’t fully explain why there is a change in sound, but I do hear it and don’t believe it’s a placebo effect.  What makes sense to me, a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, purity, and unique geometry, all of which put together act as a filter between your source and earphones.  Variations of these physical properties can affect the conductivity of analog signal, resulting in a sound change, from a subtle to a more noticeable level.  Also, the sound change introduced by a specific cable is not universal because it will depend on the design and the synergy between the source and earphones under the test.

Intro.

It was refreshing to see a well-known cable manufacturer like Effect Audio to introduce a new budget series of cables which to everyone’s surprise didn’t look like “budget” at all.  Released a year ago, that was not their first intro level cable release, but they certainly stepped it up instead of cutting corners.  I’m not going to repeat myself with individual sound analysis and pair ups because my original Signature Series review covered every aspect of Ares S, Cadmus, and Eros S cables included in that Series.  What I would like to cover in this short write up is the follow up update EA introduced this year.

One update was purely from aesthetic perspective, Eros S (hybrid copper/silver) 1^st Anniversary Edition of the cable to celebrate a year since the original release.  Other two updates were 8-wire versions of Ares S (copper) and Cadmus (SPC) cables.  The reason why there was no 8-wire version of Eros S because that cable already has 8 wires.  I know, there is not much to cover here besides pictures, but the question of “what to expect when you double the wires?” comes up quite often, and I decided to make a short write up about it.

Unboxing and Accessories.

The unboxing experience of Ares S 8W and Cadmus 8W is identical to their original packaging, even the same cover art with Ares S, the Greek God of war in copper color (reflecting copper wires) and Cadmus, the Greek slayer of monsters plated in silver to cover the copper underneath (reflecting silver-plated copper wires).  The only change is addition of “8W” to reflect the 8-wire version.  And you still get the same accessories with a new custom storage case (oxford cloth with microfiber lining inside) and a cable organizer leather strap which you can attach to the case as a handle to close it or to attach to your bag or belt.  A very practical and cool looking accessory.

The new 1^st Anniversary Edition of Eros S is where EA got more creative.  The original packaging had Eros S, the Greek God of love and sex, with a funky twist of silver and copper (reflecting silver/copper hybrid wires).  The Anniversary Edition dressed Eros S in all-new black attire which got reflected in all-black cover art version of the same drawing.  And since the new updated design infused the black finish with golden flakes, EA also updated the storage case with a golden logo and a leather strap with golden snap fasteners.  That was a classy touch.

Design.

The wire design remains the same where Ares S 8W uses premium UP-OCC Copper Litz 24awg wires with proprietary dual geometric design and Cadmus 8W uses premium UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper Litz 24awg wires with septuplet multi-sized core bundle design.  Each cable still features EA Ultra Flexi Insulation, shear clear in Ares S and Cadmus so you can see details of wires material, and ConX interchangeable Connector with 2pin tip included stock while the rest could be purchased separately.  Each cable I received had Rhodium plated brass straight type headphone plug.

The only difference here is that instead of 4-wires they now have 8-wires.  Due to a tighter braiding, the overall wire thickness doesn’t look like it doubled.  But you should expect increase in weight since you are adding wire material.  Ares S 8W went from 32g to 50g, and Cadmus 8W went from 34g to 52g.

As already mentioned, only the Anniversary Edition of Eros S got a complete make over.  The matt pearl silver insulation was replaced with Stardust Noir finish, y-splitter has a polished and brushed aluminum with forged CF in black, slider is brushed aluminum in black, plug housing is also polished/brushed in black, and ConX housing shell is anodized aluminum in black.  The transformation took OG Eros S from a bit bland looking to a whole new premium-looking level with a price increase of only $49.  But if you don’t care as much about the aesthetics, this is the same cable with the same wires and should have the same sound performance.

Sound Analysis.

This is going to be brief as well since I only tested and compared Ares S and Cadmus between their corresponding 4W and 8W versions.  I used LPGT as my neutral reference source, volume matched in every comparison, Aroma Jewel and UM Mentor Multiverse IEMs, and played the selection of my 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”.

Ares S ($179) vs Ares S 8W ($279) – With both IEMs I hear a wider perception (widens the L/R spread) of the soundstage.  I also hear mids being more forward in quantity, bringing more focus to the vocals, and giving them fuller body and more texture.  As a result, the perception of the mid-bass impact is a bit lower, while sub-bass rumble remained the same.  Also, the treble sounds a little smoother now, which was especially noticeable with MM where 4W Ares S made treble a bit brittle while 8W gave treble a more natural smoother tonality.

Cadmus ($199) vs Cadmus 8W ($299) – In this comparison with both IEMs I also hear a unique transformation.  While the overall soundstage width remained the same, the mids/vocals became wider and their imaging position changed, bringing them more forward in 8W while the original 4W version had them pushed a little bit back.  When it comes to a tonality, 8W added more sparkle and air to the treble which elevated the resolution of the sound without making it harsh or sibilant, though in this cable comparison I personally preferred it better with Jewel rather than MM.

Please keep in mind that I’m not suggesting these cables will make MM or Jewel sound better in comparison to other multi-kilobuck cables.  Everything is just a matter of a personal taste.  I’m just intimately familiar with both of these IEMs and use them in many reviews, thus find them great for sound analysis.

Conclusion.

As I mentioned in my original Signature Series review, these Effect Audio cables are easy to recommend because they are easy on the eye, easy on the wallet, feature higher quality wire material, all new premium looking hardware, and cool new accessories.  The Eros S 1^st Anniversary Edition really stepped it up with a premium look on the level of some kilobuck cables while the price only went up by $49.  If you are choosing between original and Anniversary Edition of Eros S, it’s no brainer.  If you already got OG and happy with sound performance, you will only be upgrading the “looks”.  In some cases, like FirAudio RN6, the pair-up looks like they were meant for each other.

With Ares S 8W and Cadmus 8W, there is no magic in sound changes.  Even cable disbelievers will agree that when you double the number of wires, you are doubling the cross-section area of the combined cable.  As a result, you will decrease the impedance of the cable.  In combination with the output impedance of your source and impedance and crossover design of your IEMs, this could/should affect the sound.  In my review I described the changes relative to LPGT DAP and Jewel and MM iems.  These changes could be more or less noticeable with other sources and IEMs.  But overall, you should hear some.  And I also have to admit that 8-wire braid makes these cables look great!