Effect Audio EA Perseus

The Slayer of Sound harshness!

PROs: sub-$1k price, unique 9-driver quadbrid design (2DD/2BA/4PMD/PTZ BCD), balanced sound sig with a natural, detailed tonality, deep DD bass response with sub-bass emphasis, immersive soundstage imaging, solid, lightweight, metal build with a unique faceplate design, quality EA Ordinis cable with ConX, and premium storage case and eartips.

CONs: nothing negative, except for maybe having a safe, natural tuning without anything jumping out if you crave extra bass impact or higher resolution treble extension.

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

Manufacturer website: EA. Available for sale from authorized retailers like Bloom Audio.

Intro.

When I read Effect Audio’s announcement of their new upcoming IEMs, Perseus, I had to go back and double-check because I didn’t see the mention of Elysian Acoustics Lab collaboration or the use of Pentaconn Ear connectors. As many are aware, over the last 4+ years, EA has collaborated with Elysian Acoustics on several releases, such as GAEA, Pilgrim NOIR, and Apostle, and has continued to update Lee’s legacy Annihilator releases after he branched out to start his own company. This new release was their own IEMs, according to EA, designed from the ground up as a single system, combining the acoustic architecture with a new cable to complement its tuning.

Obviously, it wasn’t their freshman offering, since they already have plenty of experience in IEM tuning and manufacturing. And I became curious about this release, especially after learning that it will be priced under $1k and marketed for “Everyday Listening.” Over the years, the price threshold for entry-level releases has risen, especially in the premium non-chi-fi market, with some releases giving you a taste before introducing you to their flagships. In the case of Perseus, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and what tuning direction EA was going to take. The only way to find out was to get my hands (and ears) on it, and here is what I found after spending the last few weeks testing EA Perseus IEMs.

Unboxing and Accessories.

Perseus arrived in compact packaging, a square silver box with a unique “Perseus” artwork on top. Under the cover, sitting in a secure foam cutout tray, you will find IEMs, a custom Ordinis cable, a custom round leather carrying case, a cleaning tool and a microfiber cloth, two sets of eartips, a warranty card, and lots of useful printed info about the design details, including the philosophy behind it.

The carrying case is compact, round-shaped, has a felt lining, and has enough room for Perseus and the included Ordinis cable. It has a hidden storage compartment at the bottom for extra ConX tips and a ConX tool. Those are optional; however, you can also “borrow” them from your other EA cables with modular ConX connectors. The included eartips feature ARC Oval silicone tips (S/M/L) and Symbio F foamy tips (S/M/L), with 6 pairs available in a compact plastic case. My only comment here is that while the included carrying case has a more premium look and feel, for everyday “listening”, as these are marketed, they could have used something simpler and more pocket-friendly.

Cable.

Of course, given that EA is a well-known cable company, expect to be treated with a premium-quality cable here. I was pleased that it wasn’t just an afterthought stock cable added to the packaging, but a custom-wire cable designed specifically for Perseus from the beginning, as they were working on the IEMs’ design and tuning.

The cable is named Ordinis and features an 8-wire design with 26 AWG thickness, EA’s traditional UltraFlexi insulation, and a soft black, non-microphonic jacket which provides greater contrast with the cable’s hardware’s gunmetal finish. Each wire uses a solid central core with a multi-sized core bundle, featuring materials such as Gold-Plated Silver, Silver, Copper alloy, Copper litz, and Silver litz. It comes with a ConX connector and default 2pin tips, which you can upgrade to other tips (mmcx or Pentaconn) if you want to use it with other IEMs. The headphone plug is standard, copper, gold-plated, 4.4mm balanced.

I will talk more about the cable and its synergy with Perseus, but as a spoiler, I preferred it to some other cables I tried. The cable is great, pliable, lightweight, ergonomic, even despite the 8-wire design, and has a matching hardware finish to complement the looks of these IEMs.

Design.

Under the hood of Perseus warrior shells, you will find a fine-tuned 9-driver quadbrid config, controlled by a 4-way crossover:

2 × 8mm LSR Dynamic Driver for Lows
2 × Customized Sonion 2300 Balanced Armatures for Mid
4 × Planar Magnetic Driver Tweeters for Highs
1 × PTZ Bone Conduction for Imaging

This was a step up from their previous “Elysian” branded 4-driver hybrid Pilgrim NOIR (DD/3BA) and 5-driver tribrid Apostle OG (DD/2BA/2EST). In more detail, Perseus dual LSR DD drivers are arranged in an isobaric push-pull config. The customized Sonion 2300 BA drivers have previously been featured in the Pilgrim NOIR design and are also implemented in this Perseus config. The highs are covered by four micro-planar drivers rather than ESTs as part of their new isoplanar quad system design, with a surprisingly natural, relaxed treble extension. And as a cherry on top, they feature a PTZ Bone Conduction driver to enhance the spatial definition of sound.

The rigid aluminum housing with a gunmetal finish features a custom-like design on the inner side of the shell that contacts the concha area of the ear. Seems like the nozzle extension is made of a different aluminum alloy, in black, with a smaller diameter, a bit shorter, a mesh cover at the tip, and a secure lip to hold tight to the eartips. The 2-pin socket is flush-mounted and has one pinhole vent next to it, while the other elongated vent is at the end of the faceplate. The faceplate features sharp lines of an eye-candy Perseus’s Blade mesmerizing design.

The fit.

While the shells do stick out a bit relative to my smaller ears, they are very comfortable and, as already mentioned, have a custom-like fit. Also, I found them to be quite lightweight.