The taste of a premium wine!
PROs: Finetunes the sound of IEMs with more weight in sub-bass, improved clarity and mid-range presentation, more airiness in the treble, and expanded imaging; the cable is surprisingly lightweight and flexible for an 8-wire design, featuring a ConX modular connector, updated cable hardware, and a durable build.
CONs: Sound improvement varies depending on the pair-up synergy, lack of accessories, and the protective shrink-wrap around the cable hardware is difficult to peel off.
The product was provided to me free of charge for review purposes in exchange for my honest opinion.
Manufacturer website: Effect Audio. Available for sale from authorized retailers such as Musicteck.
Preamble.
I’m aware that some people are skeptical about the contribution of cable to the audio chain. 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 find it to be a placebo effect, especially in blind testing of various cables with IEMs. What makes sense is that a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, and purity, acting as a filter between your source and earphones. Variations in these physical properties can affect the conductivity of an analog signal, resulting in a change in sound that ranges from subtle to more noticeable levels. Additionally, the sound change introduced by a specific cable is not universal, as it depends on the design of the earphones and their synergy with the source.
Intro.
As I have mentioned in the past, and repeating myself, if you are on a budget and looking for higher-quality cables, the original Signature Series from Effect Audio was among the top choices, including the bonus of ConX, making it compatible with 2pin, mmcx, and other IEM connectors. It’s hard to imagine how you can improve it. Yet, EA still managed to do so by doubling the wires in the Signature Series II, while offering some at a lower price than the corresponding 8-wire versions from the original series, along with other design improvements. They even introduced a hybrid (AxC) design, combining two cables. The cable hardware was updated with a more elegant, premium-looking, and sleeker Y-Split, along with a new wire structure. This includes the implementation of a Central Solid core, similar to their more expensive Horizon series.
So far, all cables released under the original Signature Series and the new Signature Series II have featured the familiar wire material typically associated with entry-level models, including Copper, SPC, and Silver/Copper alloy. EA offers other, more expensive cables in its premium series (Horizon and Ultra-Flagship) that include a variety of exotic wire materials. Recently, EA updated their Horizon series with MKII releases, but just before that announcement, they introduced a Dionysus cable, which features Gold-plated Silver wire found in their Ultra-Flagship series of cables. The big surprise here was this cable being released under their entry-level Signature Series II umbrella and priced between the SSII and Horizon series of products. So, how does it sound, and what does it bring to the table? Let’s find out!
Unboxing / Accessories.
With the release of the Signature Series, EA refreshed its packaging presentation, resulting in a similar design for each box. It featured a quality cardboard box with the cable’s Y-Split presented under the cover, in a cutout of the insert, like premium jewelry. The name of each cable model was reflected in a cool cover art drawing. Ares, the Greek God of war, was depicted in copper to reflect the color of copper wires. Cadmus, the Greek slayer of monsters, was shown in an equal split between silver and copper, reflecting the silver-plated copper wires. Eros S, the Greek God of love and sex, had a funky twist of silver and copper to reflect its silver/copper hybrid wires. The AxC reflected the hybrid Ares S II x Cadmus II design with both characters in a split copper/silver color. The latest addition, Dionysus, the Greek God of wine, fertility, and revelry, is shown with golden hair to reflect this cable’s secret-sauce wire material.
I found it very clever that each cover image and its coloring scheme depict the wire of the corresponding model. Every detail of the packaging design intentionally connects the artwork with the actual product and the story behind it. I assume that EA attempted to maintain consistency in the packaging of their Signature Series II cables; therefore, no other accessories were included with this more premium Dionysus model. If needed, additional ConX tips could be purchased separately. Additionally, the protective shrink wrap around the cable hardware, commonly used by many cable manufacturers, remains difficult to peel off.
Design.
As I mentioned in my Signature Series II review, to keep the price of entry-level cables low, some manufacturers often have to cut corners, such as using a simplified design, omitting accessories, or using thinner wires. While you won’t find any accessories here, everything else in the Sig Series II has scaled up compared to the original Sig Series. Instead of four wires, we now have eight wires, including improved cable ergonomics. The hardware design has been updated to feature a more elegant and premium look. Furthermore, you still get a ConX modular connector to exchange the default 2pin with optional mmcx, Pentaconn, or other IEM connectors.
The new, sleeker hardware features an updated, multi-angled sculpted design with forged carbon fiber inlaid in the Y-Split. To distinguish each cable, Ares S II features copper speckles, Cadmus II has silver speckles, Eros S II and AxC have both copper and silver speckles, and Dionysus features gold speckles in their forged carbon fibre Y-Split inserts. This is not accidental because Dionysus uses EA’s flagship Gold-plated Silver material. There is also a very slim retractable chin-slider that matches the multi-angled shape of the Y-split and almost disappears when next to it. Dionysus also features a black-matte finish Ultra-Flexi Insulation jacket, which EA has only used in limited Signature Series releases in the past.
The updated wire’s design is more complex. It features a new structure with a central solid core, similar to their more expensive Horizon series, utilizing a Solid Copper core in Ares S II and Cadmus II, and a Solid Silver core in Eros S II. Dionysus uses a Silver and Copper Alloy with a central solid core. As a recap, I will list the details of each wire below. Furthermore, I would like to note that this is not a recycling of old or pre-made off-the-shelf cables. It is always good to see a manufacturer trying something different, including the technology introduced in their higher-end models, now trickling down to entry-level models. In the case of Dionysus, it’s not just a technology exclusive to their higher-end models, but the premium Gole-plated Silver wire material that has been incorporated into the budget-priced Signature Series II.
The Ares S II ($199) features 26AWG-thick, 8-wire UP-OCC Pure Copper, a ConX connector, a Rhodium-plated brass plug, and a single-material Litz. One type of wire includes a Copper core with a central solid Copper core and dual Variable Quantum copper, while another type consists of a combination of six multi-sized and seven multi-sized core bundles.
The Cadmus II ($249) features 26AWG-thick, 8-wire UP-OCC SPC, a ConX connector, a Rhodium-plated brass plug, and a single-material Litz. It uses a Silver-plated Copper with a solid Copper core at the center. It was designed with six multi-sized bundles surrounding the central core.
The AxC II ($269) is a hybrid design that combines the wires of the Ares S II and Cadmus II, featuring 26AWG-thick, 8-wire cables, 4 of each type, a ConX connector, a Rhodium-plated brass plug, and a multi-material Litz UP-OCC Pure Copper and UP-OCC SPC.
The Eros S II ($299) features 26AWG-thick 8-wire UP-OCC with Silver and Copper alloy, Pure Silver, and Pure Copper Hybrid, a ConX connector, a Rhodium-plated brass plug, and a multi-material Litz. The materials include a hybrid of Silver and Copper alloy/Pure Silver/Pure Copper, a solid Silver central core, and six multi-sized bundles made from three materials surrounding a Pure Silver core.
The star of this review, new Dionysus ($429), features 26AWG-thick 8-wire UP-OCC with a ConX connector, a Rhodium-plated brass plug, and a multi-material Litz. The materials include Gold-Plated Silver Litz, Silver Litz, Copper Litz, and Silver and Copper Alloy with a central solid core surrounded by multi-sized core bundles.
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