Greetings friends and welcome to my review of Rhapsodio’s family of cables! After being wowed and falling in love with the Supreme V3, (even ordering it in CIEM) I now turn my attention - and hopefully yours - to Sammy’s line of very, very impressive cables. For those of you not in the know, Rhapsodio is a boutique IEM and cable maker from Singapore, headed by the very likable Sammy. Now based in Taiwan, Sammy took the cable world by storm some years ago being (supposedly) the first to wrap cables in the now very popular soft nylon sheathing. Years later, he’s still hard at work forging new ground, using exotic materials, and adding in his secret-sauce tuning tricks that makes his work so great, and so unique too. Avoiding some of the attention grabbing styles of the mega famous brands, RSD seems to float a bit in the background, like a great party that’s only known by word of mouth. But when you know about it, you know it’s special. Sammy’s work is very well known in Asian markets, but a bit of a secret to the rest of us - part of what makes my reviews and demos of his gear that much more exciting for me. Something new? something secret? Mmmmm delicious, gimme now please. He makes some amazing stuff, like the Supreme V3 and Infinity IEMs, as well as a whole lineup of cables (7!!), hereby referred to as the RSD family. His Copper Wizard, arguably his most famous, remains an industry mainstay, and some of his newer offerings are simply stunning. Like crazy amazing.. ahem…I’m talking about you Fantasies Copper. So when Sammy asked me to review his Supreme V3 I was super excited, and along with the IEM he sent me a whole slew of his TOTL cables to try with it. They were so impressive I felt they merited a review of their own, and so, here we are. I’ve spent about 5 months with them, in many different signal chains and IEMs, with lots and lots of different music. Now, some cables grabbed a bit more of my attention than others, so this review will cover all of what I have, while focusing a wee bit extra on a choice few I feel need special attention. And so, this review will cover the following RSD cables: Copper Wizard, Copper Evolution and Evolution SPC, Copper Hybrid, Fantasies Copper 2w and 4w, as well as Sammy’s newest silver/gold cable called the Luxe4.


A small note on cables, (and prices). I’m a firm believer in cables, so much so that I have invested stupid crazy money on my personal cables. While not as important as your IEM or DAP, I believe the cable plays a vital, and sonically recognizable role in your signal chain, one that should not be overlooked. While not having a sound of their own, the increased “potential” and “ability expanding” effect of cables can indeed be quite noticeable. It can be the final piece of the puzzle that makes it all click, or what opens the bottleneck allowing your other gear to shine. Sometimes, with the really great stuff, it even brings a paradigm shift in everything it’s plugged into, revealing things you didn’t know were even there and making your IEMs sing with serendipitous glee. That being said, I know many think this be just a silly waste of time and money - either not believing in it, or simply not caring - and that’s totally fine. The staggering prices give cause for emotional turmoil and even anger, I totally get it, I’m pissed off too. I don’t have to remind any of you about the insane price gauging and hobby-ending gambles some companies are doing now. It’s awful, I know. But, quality is quality, and when one is searching for the very best then what to do, but just take it. Companies make this stuff for people that care - if you don’t care then you’ve saved yourself a LOT of cash. That’s my view, and while I would be just as happy with something cheaper if it gave me the same level of enjoyment, I recognize you get what you pay for. So, I will be focusing ONLY on sonics and ergonomics for this review. All these cables are very expensive, some of them crazy expensive. But they sound fantastic, and at the end of the day, for me at least, how it sounds and how it makes you feel, is all that matters.









Before I get into the details let me quickly do my usual testing gear rundown and disclaimer in favor of transparency:

- These cables are all demo units, and will be returned to RSD after my review. I don’t own any of them at the time of writing. I was asked to review these directly by Sammy and RSD, nothing was asked of me in exchange for my impressions, feelings and experience. My thoughts are my own

- I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I don’t do this for work, and I spend an enormous amount of time on these. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out cash, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. That doesn’t mean my reviews are in any way slanted by pure adoration, I pride myself on being very neutral, open-minded, and sharing my thoughts in a way that will benefit the community. Honesty and no fluff. If I recommend something it’s because I genuinely loved it, and I think you may too.

- I start out with a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spend several weeks/months with the review sample simply listening to whatever inspires me, like I normally would. I then come back to the testing tracks to solidify my impressions before sitting down to write the review. I listen while I write, one of my favorite parts.

- I love all kinds of music, and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion, you absolutely should take into consideration how their musical tastes match or differ from your own.







A few excerpts from my latest listening roster, in no particular order.

Jazz: Snarky Puppy, GoGo Penguin, Nubya Garcia, Mathew Halsall, Robert Glasper, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Hunter, Avishai Cohen, Kandace Springs, Chris Potter, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Julian Lage, Funky Knuckles, Ghost Note, Aaron Parks.

Rock: Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Rage Against The Machine, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Them Crooked Vultures, Tom Petty, Jackson Brown, Jethro Tull.

Vocals/Modern: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, Asgeir, The Comet is Coming, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Glass Animals, Jacob Collier, Hiatus Coyote, RY X, Vulfpeck, Mark Littieri, Fantastic Negrito, Gary Clark Jr.

Electronic: Joe Armon-Jones, Hidden Orchestra, Om Unit, Yosi Horikawa, Archie Pelago, Arovane, Madlib, Emancipator, Kryptic Minds, Bonobo, FKJ, Djrum, Synkro, Moonchild.

Heavy Music: Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, Polyphia, TesseracT, Meshuggah, Trivium, Sevendust, Periphery, Sepultura, Intervals, Plini, Polyphia.


For my source I used my LP6 Ti AE, and Sony WM1ZM2, along with short tests with N30Le, P6Pro and SP3000. IEMs were RSD Supreme V3, Traillii and Traillii Ti, Jewel, Amber Pearl and 64A 18t along with several short tests with STORM.








Without further ado, let’s get into it!



BOX & PACKAGING:

Seeing as I received demo units, I can’t comment much on the packaging or presentation. Some arrived in a soft bag, others in the typical RSD bamboo box I’d see before. Some of the wooden boxes only had space for a cable, others were big enough for a connected IEM too, I’m not sure what the final production box for each cable is. The one exception to this is the Fantasies Copper (FC 2+4) that came in an artsy black box, but without any kind of case.




ERGO & WEAR

Speaking generally, all the RSD cables look and feel pretty similar. They have different colored wires, slightly different thicknesses and stiffness(es), but the fit, finish and style is a family thing. They all feature the same carbon fiber hardware, love it or hate it, that’s the RSD look. While the carbon fiber may seem rather “off the shelf”, I can confirm that these are indeed bespoke custom pieces, of very high quality, and Rhodium plated. They feel very solid, the workmanship is good, so this is basically just a cosmetic thing. I’ll agree that they don’t look the part so to speak, especially for such expensive cables, but after using them for months, with lots of cable rolling, I can tell you they do hold up and everything feels super stable. Some of RSD’s newer cables have a much more intricate carved Y split, and from what I am hearing this look will be fazed into the 4.4mm plug and 2 pin connectors soon. Yay! The chin cinch on most of the cables is almost useless unfortunately, as it’s much too loose on the thinner cables, and hilariously too small/tight on the bigger cables. If you sit still it will stay up, but any kind of moving around will cause it to drop back to the Y split. On the big FC4W it’s so tight you have to adjust it before you put the IEMs in your ears to avoid any extra tugging or potential damage to your gear. But when it’s set, it really stays put, and for me that’s great with such a heavy cable. On the whole the hardware leaves one wanting for sure, but it’s a brand thing, they all have it, so moving on.







As mentioned, all the RSD cables are pretty stiff. Some are 2 wire, others 4, but even the 2 wire feel like they have a mind of their own. They coil really well, and lay well, but if you try to adjust them other than how they lay naturally, well, then you’re in for a bit of a battle. For one the ear hooks are shrink wrapped which isn’t very flexible, so you can’t make the loop smaller or bigger really. The braiding is top notch and very pretty, but they can start to coil on you while using them. The FC2W and 4$ are really really stiff, mostly because they feature a few extra layers of shielding under that purple skin, so keep that in mind. For me, after I got situated, I found them to be just fine, and not too bothersome or attention grabbing. For RSD, like Brise Audio, SQ is really the only important thing to them. They focused on the sound and the rest is simply a byproduct of those needs. RSD is more colorful, Brise is blacked out, choose your poison.


After months of use I just enjoyed the cables. Even the FC4W, which is a crazy python beast, began to feel quite ok. After recently receiving the Nightjar Sovereign Symphony, which is quite similarly immensely sized and weighted, this kind of ergo is just par for the course it seems. I’ve gotten overly used to huge cables, and so my opinion is likely veered towards SQ insanity with comfort to the wind. If you’re sensitive to ergo and comfort you may have an issue with some of RSD cables for sure, but I can tell you the sound is worth the stretch. I’m a purist and they certainly have grabbed my attention.


So how do they sound? Let’s investigate one by one, staring with:







Copper Wizard

This is the cable that made RSD famous. Covered in black nylon sheathing it bears resemblance to the 1960s cables from PW Audio. It comes stock with the Supreme V3, in a 2 wire braid. It’s pretty soft, pliable and bendy, though it does retain some of that “mind of its own” rigidity. It’s very light, and disappears for me in longer sessions. Sonically it’s great, the RSD house sound is baked in here through and through. This is a fairly neutral copper cable that balances abilities and musicalities perfectly. Great crisp details, resolution and separation. Neutral note weight. Solid, deep textured bass, that punches like hell. Equal sub and mid bass, neutral quantity. Mids are very resolving and clear, with crisp and clear transients. Vocals and instruments have wonderful separation, clarity, space between layers, and realistic timbre. One thing you’ll find in all RSD cables is this timbre that feels like you can reach out touch it, natural and lively. The top end is nicely extended, fairly lively but smooth always. There is a good amount sparkle that stays controlled, very detailed, especially when paired with the V3 in stock configuration. This is quite a mesmerizing combo, the level of detail, clarity and openness is wild. Stage is large, more spherical than wide, with a very enveloping quality. Quite tall and deep, as with most RSD cables, this is one of Sammy’s secrets as well. Very deep stages, keeping things a bit closer in the middle, but stretching way up top and pretty wide too. Tuning wise all RSD cables tend to lean a bit towards the dynamic and tactile side, they are never harsh or bright, but they have a little extra spritelyness to them. The CW is energetic without being over the top, with a slight uprise in the lower treble and sparkle to add a touch of finesse and air. Great extension on both ends.


With the SV3 you can see why it is bundled together, this is a wonderful pairing. It keeps the V3’s neutral and revealing character without adding in any warmth, extra weight or coloring. It’s also right on the line of musical and technical, with a great wide open sound, While I preferred the Fantasies Copper with SV3, (a known super pairing that costs an additional $3500) I think for most this stock combo will be more than satisfying. It’s nice to see a company selling a summit IEM with such a good stock cable, one of the best imo. Well done Sammy!




Evolution Copper

Coming from the CW, the Evolution Copper (the previous flagship before Fantasies Copper’s arrival) is thicker and more meaty sounding. More bass, more lower mids, less sparkle and flash. The edges are less clear and crisp, it could be called more relaxed, of course this is only compared to the CW. Bass has more weight to it, and while it’s not quite as fast it has more of a DD style longer decay. More thump and rumble over the punch of the CW. Mids and vocals are more laid back, and while they are quite resolving it’s not the hit you over the head wowzers style like the CW does. Treble sparkle is also a tad more laid back, but stays really nicely extended. Stage size is similar to CW, with perhaps a touch less height. Technically they are both very similar, they simply adopt different styles of presentation. The CW is tied to that V3 sound, bell like and clear, with a touch of crispness that makes things very lively. While not bright, it’s not a sit back and chill kind of experience per se. Bleeding edge for sure. The EC brings things a bit more towards the middle, and I think if you didn’t come directly from the CW one would find it quite engaging and plenty intense on it’s own.

Comfort wise the EC has the traditional RSD stiffer PVC sheathing, but since it’s only 2 wires it’s very thin and light. When you get used to the slightly rubbery feeling it’s quite comfortable, just keep in mind it’s not as soft as the CW’s nylon cover.




Evolution SPC

In many ways this is an EC with a touch more air and sparkle. I hear it very similarly in terms of tuning, resolution, space, weight and stage. As could be expected the silver coating adds a touch of extra sparkle and clarity to the edges, a tad of extra punch too. The stage might spread a bit wider, slightly more enveloping, but it’s quite minimal. If you’re looking for an RSD copper sound that’s slightly laid back, but find the EC to be a touch too slow and smooth (respectively) then go for the SPC version. Just a touch more energy and bite. The EV and CW are fairly similar in many ways too, the CW tends to push things a bit more towards the top end emphasis, the EC is more mids and lows. The CW is the more technical and modern sounding, the EC and SPC sound a touch more “vintage” to me.





Copper Hybrid

This is more of a Phat “copper” sounding cable to me. It’s much thicker physically, but really soft and supple. A completely different ergo to those previously, just a nice soft plump cable. It has a nice warm and lush look, as the copper wires gleam under the clean super soft PVC. The sound is much like the look, a bit more relaxed, more warm and emotional. It’s lush, enveloping and inviting. Slightly less details, smoother edges. Bass is more pillowy and soft, less punch and taught as CW. Mids are beautiful and serene, treble is smooth with a touch of softness to it. It has big note weight, more body and thickness, but lacks some dynamics behind it’s taught’n’tight brothers. This is the cheapest offering I had to test, (still $1k) and as such its performs well over its price point but doesn’t quite keep up with the others in terms of resolution or details. Stage size is good, more oval than wide, surrounding you in the music as opposed to placing you further away.





Luxe4

This is something brand new, Sammy sent me one of the very first production versions. This is his take on a pure silver cable, but with a splash of 2% of gold added in. While RSD does a pure silver cable, the Ultimate, this is definitely different. The result is a super, super nice cable, with one of the most unique stages and presentations I’ve ever heard. While retaining the traditional resolving and smooth nature of pure silver done right, the Luxe adds some special golden flakes on top. It errs just a tad on the brighter side, while remaining very smooth and enjoyable. It has a bit of energy and bite in the treble, but not in an aggressive way. The bass is very tight and punchy, perhaps a shade over neutral in quantity while giving a bit more sub-bass and rumble than other RSD cables. Mids are more neutral/leaner weighted, and positioned more forward. As they move up in frequency they thin out a bit, getting into a more angelic and ethereal tuning, making vocals have this otherworldly sound to them. Something like RX Y sounds crazy, his voice is floating there surrounded by absolutely nothing but space and air. There is a bit of lower treble accentuation here, so while the voice sounds otherworldly, there is extra crispness and a tad of essence on the edges of the notes - it just adds this slight thinner quality that removes a bit of the “realism”, making them more outer space sounding. Not nasally, just thinner. I know some people really like this, the Ode To Laura has a similar tuning and it remains of the most favored cables ever made. The L4 treble is very detailed, but also a bit forward and accentuated. I wouldn’t say it’s really “bright” but this remains the most treble centric cable in RSD’s lineup. The gold plating does give it a bit more of a glowing vibe, so while there is a bit more energy up top it’s less energetic or fast overall than FC or ESPC. It’s very beautiful sounding, I took to calling it the White Angel. If you like ethereal vocals this is the one to get, they’re quite out of this world.


As mentioned, the stage of the Luxe is very unique. For one it’s very large, especially vertically. It’s quite holographic too, wide but also very tall and deep. But the most unique thing is where it places the music - totally above you. Not just the vocals - the entire spectrum floats above you. It’s like sitting in a lawn chair and gazing up at the stars - it’s all out there in space as vast as the sky. Drums, guitars, bass, keys, strings, reverbs and echos, all placed out in front of you and up. You do still hear details behind you, but the positioning is so unique. I had this idea while listening that I was in an IMAX theatre. Sitting in my chair, looking up at the giant screen, sound coming from in front and above, behind, all around. Rumbles of bass that seem to emanate not from one spot, but all over. While I wouldn’t say that the positioning is super precise, the layering and vastness certainly is very impressive. The FC still wins as a technical cable, with more punch and weight - the Luxe has more sparkle, air, with a thinner overall sound that adds a touch of treble energy while staying more relaxed.


Ergo wise this is the best cable RSD makes. It’s super thin, extremely light and flexible and crazy soft. Like a “normal” small cable, it looks quite unassuming and feels the same. I have the 2W, but Sammy makes an 8W also, and that would still be crazy thin. It has a nice quality feel, very soft and supple, bendy and almost lush feeling. Compared to the rest of the RSDs it’s less than half the weight and size. Comfort wise this is a no-brainer, it’s just fantastic. For me personally, socially, I would prefer more note weight, and less ethereal thinner upper mids. But that’s probably how one achieves such an immense and airy sound. Perhaps the 8W would add some of that in there, I’ll have to try and hear it someday. The Luxe4 is very impressive, very angelic. Gorgeous. If you like space, vocals and a silver sound with a touch of gold and smoothness, this is your cable.









Fantasies Copper 2W

Here comes my personal favorite, the purple beast. The newest flagship of RSD cables, and for good reason. As soon as I heard this cable I was in love. It is one of the most revealing, textured, vast, fast and punchy cables I have ever heard. It’s insanely fast, noticeably changing all IEMs I tried it with, injecting speed, crispness and power to them all. It’s not bright, it still has the trademark copper girth, weight, power and fat body, but there is some added magic in there that produces this insanely detailed and dynamic sound. One could easily be convinced this is some kind of hybrid, some silver or moon rocks in there, but it’s just copper. It has fast and crisp transients, uber punchy and textured bass that is as fast and tactile as anything I have heard. The bass slams with great authority and power, but stays neutral in terms of quantity. It is very textured, rumbly and taught, addictive really. Going back to other cables always makes the bass feel slow and sluggish in comparison. Any other cable I try is the same really, if you like a dynamic, fast and very technical sound this one is for you.


Mids are crystal clear and open, with very good imaging, positioning and layering. The edges are super clear and precise without erring on the side of sharp. Instruments have great weight, noticeably thicker and more rich than all the other RSD cables (CH excluded). The magic of the FC is it’s uncanny ability to thread the line between technical and musical - somehow never adding too much zing or presence, but giving even the most lazy monitors as sense of urgency and speed. Timbre, realism, texture are all top notch. These are mids to die for, but more so on the side of energetic, even though they are still quite lush and big. Something like the Orpheus is smoother and more relaxed, but the FC mids have similar magic to them, just more on the energetic side. Everything feels and sounds natural, realistic and with that fantastic RSD timbre. Instruments sound lively but honest, more textured than smooth, and with a sense of vastness that could only be called mesmerizing. Vocals float above you in this huge space, lip smacks and breaths are tactile and in your face, in your ears, in your mind. When paired with the V3, or the Traillii (and Ti) this is about as good as it gets in terms of pure unadulterated resolution, punch and clarity without losing musicality and emotion. I’ll do some more involved comparisons below.

Micro details are quite interesting here, while the Orpheus probably still wins in terms of micro detail in the mids, (it’s speciality) they sound ever so slightly compressed compared to the FC. That’s not a bad thing at all, makes me think of Eric Johnson’s clean guitar tone, where the plucks and plinks pop out at you with a sense of percussive quality. The micro details with FC are less popping out, but I still hear roughly the same about of detail, it’s just mixed into the overall sound instead of being singled out.

Treble is very extended, sparkly and lively while never being sibilant or overly accentuated. In fact, that’s one of the magic things about the FC, it’s so natural and balanced while being insanely technical and fast. I hear the micro details in the treble just float in space, each with their own discernible space and edges, like I could pluck them out of the air individually. There is a tiny uptick around 8-9khz, but it’s so slight it just blends in with everything else, adding a flair of effervescence and air without being crispy or too sizzly. For anyone who is treble sensitive, this is not aggressive in any way, and I don’t find it bright, just very revealing.






It has a very big stage, super enveloping and vast. While not the widest, it is very tall, and extra crazy deep. It’s more 3D and holographic than ultra wide, and when paired with the V3 it achieves pure legend status, breaking all records for open-ness and depth in the mids and treble. Pretty wild stuff. Along with the depth I hear the extension up top to be fantastic, very airy and with almost no end vertically. The winner for best insane treble extension will still go to the Brise Shirogane, (review here) but they are very different sounding cables.


Ergo wise this is one of the stiffest cables I’ve ever used. Due to the extra layers of internal shielding, which you can see when you look closely, it doesn’t like to bend as much as its brethren. When wearing I didn’t find it overly cumbersome, but it’s not comfortable per se. Especially the ear hooks, they are very stiff and don’t like to be adjusted. I found them to kind of float above my ears instead of laying down flat. I actually took a hairdryer to them to get the bend a bit more to my ear shape, which did help, but they stay just as stiff. This isn’t the same kind of ear hooks like PW or Eletech, the shrink doesn’t softly bend and bounce back - this is more of a plastic feeling. Below the Y split the braiding is nicely done, the gorgeous purple weave, and without that shrink it’s actually fairly flexible and pliable. Honestly, I feel there is a sacrifice to be made with the FC, sonically it’s one of the most impressive, fast and dynamic cables I’ve ever heard, but for that you need to suffer just a tad. If one were to remove the ear hook shrink I think it would be a lot better, as it’s only one wire going over your ear. It’s not even very thick. With customs it worked just fine, with loose fitting universals it could sometimes push them out of your ears a bit, or mess with the seal.


Overall, if I had to make an example of what the FC sounds like, I might say it’s tuned like the STORM. Very even, neutral with a tiny hint of warmth, but fast and tactile. Extremely detailed but musical, with fast bass, neutral but bodied mids, and very very revealing treble that never gets bright or overly crispy. Adding it to my Traillii JP injected some serious attitude and speed, making the bass far more punchy, and the mids more revealing and clear. It removed a touch of the looseness of the Bird, and brought it closer to the Ti. With Jewel I found it actually a bit too much, with Jewel’s overly energetic upper mids, the FC’s slight added lift in the lower treble brought it to my limit for that area. It was fantastic for the rest of the spectrum, but a tad crispy in the lower treble. I did LOVE it with the AP, my favorite pairing with the Orange Tiger. It kept the energy of the bass but made it even more punchy. It toned the midbass bump a tad, which for me was a bit much out of the box. Mids got sharpened, tightened and clearer, while keeping them musical, and extending the treble. It was wild how dynamic the AP was, bringing it a touch closer to the Mentor in some ways. Unfortunately with the APs big shells I found the ergo to be too difficult, and the FC tended to push them out of my ears. But sonically stunning. Also amazing with the Traillii Ti, making the more modern, neutral and punchy Bird even more so.

I loved this combo so much that one day, just for fun, I brought out the 4 wire version, and this was another level entirely…








Fantasies Copper 4W

The anaconda! This monster is massive, very expensive, thick, super stiff, unwieldy and of so cumbersome. Ergo is crazy bad really - but the sound is… spectacular. It takes everything about the FC2W and injects a much larger and wider stage, more note weight and power, with deeper and more textured bass, and mids that carry with them this sense of otherworldly-ness. I don’t even know how to describe it. Macro-dynamics are nuts, and while being more dynamic and vast, it also comes off as slightly less intense and crispy over the 2W version. Swapping a touch more musicality and emotional depth over the raw intensity and edge of the 2w, and a tad less sparkle to boot. (Keep in mind this is only in comparison to the 2W version) Remember the timbre thing from earlier? Reach out touch it, natural and lively? the 4W takes this up several levels too. It’s maddeningly textured and realistic. The 4w is still insanely fast, punchy and textured, but the way it portrays this is more mature, more natural and effortless, and with greater sense of dynamic range and emotion over the 2W. The 4W isn’t a dark moody cable, not at all. It has a lot of energy, a lot of bite, but it’s just so musical too. There is the traditional RSD slight uptick in the lower treble, but I found it to melt into the rest without ever drawing much attention to it.


The 2 wire has a deep stage, but the 4W has this plus a much, much wider stage that’s all around you, especially in the mids. Deeper too. Pairing the SV3 with the 2W seems a touch more wild, more sharp, and little closed in by comparison. The 4W ups the ante of space, positioning, and layering by a step or two, or three. Vocals are huge, instruments are big, weighted, and very natural. The sense of pitch black background is really special too - allowing the ultra highlighted details pop and click from a background as dark as a black hole. All those extra layers of shielding seem to be doing their job. The SV3 can have a slight edge to it, crispy by some standards, and the 4W actually smoothes this part out a bit compared to the 2W, making the SV3 bigger and more analog. That crazy IMAX stage of the Luxe4? The FC4W has this too, but on steroids. It too brings the entire sonic landscape all above you, looking up onto the abyss that is the heavens, but even bigger, even more vast and even more endless. Totally. Crazy. Insane.










This next part might be a little bit crazy, so hold onto your hats. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a big space in my heart for the Orpheus. It’s magic. It’s been with me though thick and thin, and it never fails to floor me; it’s majestic. Most would agree the Orpheus has the largest stage ever, so I must tread lightly here, but the FC4W makes the Orpheus almost sound 2D in comparison. Sacrilege you say! Orpheus is very wide, vast and lovely. It straddles the edge of technical abilities and analog musicality. But when I switch to the FC4W I am greeted by a stage that feels 10x as big. (It’s not, but that’s the feeling I got) It’s so much taller, more deep, and seems to be coming from everywhere. The height is the first thing that throws me, I didn’t realize how much the Orpheus rolls off the top until I compared it, AB’ing many times, vs this purple monstrosity. This. Is. Holography. Full Stop.


The downside is the cable is just so heavy, thick and wildly stiff. And the ear hooks, omg, they are ridiculous. They are so thick, and coated in the stiffest shrink wrap known to man. The cable really floats above the ears, it’s almost comical. When I compare it to the Nightjar Sovereign Symphony, they are actually quite similar in weight and size, but the SS is softer and more comfortable. The SS doesn’t have ear hooks at all, and honestly, for a cable of this size this is the way to go. As with the FC2W, removing those ear hooks on the 4W would have a HUGE impact on using this cable normally, making it much more similar to the SS. I’ve asked Sammy to remove them on the 4W, I’ll edit the review once I’ve tried them sans shrink, and let you all know.

Now I am not saying it’s better than the Orphy, not at all. In terms of stage envelopment I can say it is a step above, but the rest of the tuning comes down to preferences and not skills. The FC4W is very very detailed, and quite fast and crisp compared to the slower and more mellow, almost darker Orpheus. The Orphy has more bass, and with that it sounds a bit bigger on the bottom. FC4W has very deep bass, very textured too, but the quantity is neutral. Mids are a toss up between the ultra wide and sweetly detailed Orpheus, vs the gigantic and everywhere mids of the FC4W, the latter being more intense and closer to you, the former further away and focusing on microdetails over pure details. The FC4W is just so detailed, so much information, one could possibly describe it as being more technical, but I think it comes down to perceived detail and not something tangible. We’re talking bleeding edge for both, especially in the mids. The top ends are quite far apart in their approach - FC4W brings more energy and height here over the Orphy’s very smooth vibe, it’s just a very, very different tuning. Orphy sounds positively rolled off in comparison, which could of course be a great virtue as well - the FC4W with a bright IEM could end up being rough for sure. Again, it’s not bright - it’s just very transparent up top, and this could push things the wrong way in certain pairings.


Which do I prefer? All I’ll say with certainty is the FC4W is one of the most impressive cables I’ve ever heard. Astounding really. The sound is big, vast, weighty and nicely energetic. Resolution, timbre, abilities, all absolutely break neck speed here. And the stage is, well, so big I can’t even describe it. It’s an animal, pure and simple. This is not a sit back and relax cable, though I am listening to it now with the V3, relaxed perhaps not, but sitting for sure! It’s just so big and heavy, not for the faint of heart. Sonically though.. drool and wow and wow and drool…








COMPARISONS + RECAP:

MOST RELAXED: Copper Hybrid > Evolution Copper > ESPC > Copper Wizard/Luxe > FC4W > FC2W

MOST PUNCHY: FC2W > Luxe4/Copper Wizard > SPC/ Eco Copper/ Copper Hybrid

BRIGHTEST: Luxe > FC2W/Copper Wizard > Evo SPC > Evo C > Copper Hybrid

BEAUTIFUL MIDS: Luxe > FC4W > Copper Wizard/Evo/ Evo SPC/Copper Hybrid


-If you have a warmer or more relaxed IEM and you want some extra energy: FC2W

-If you have a lean and analytical IEM and you want to smooth it out: Copper Hybrid or EvoC

-Same but a bit more bite: Copper Wizard or EvoSPC

-Ethereal vocals: Luxe4

-Biggest and baddest: FC4W






FC2W vs PW 1950s Shielding

This is an interesting comparison, both of these are rather neutral and reference tunings, both pure copper, both very detailed. The FC goes for a bit more modern twist, highlighting lower treble a tad, and more punchy and fast, while 50S is a bit more mellow, more bass and slower comparatively. They have a lot in common, more than their differences. 50S could be considered warmer, but just a tad. FC has more forward mids, slightly more sub bass, and slightly more extension. Sounding more like a hybrid over the 50S’ more vintage feel. Stage size is similar too - different sides to a very similar coin. 50S is very clean and clear too - one could call them cousins maybe.








Luxe4 Vs Ode To Laura:

While I haven’t heard the OTL in quite some time, this comparison was on my mind a lot when I was listening to the Luxe4. The OTL is more copper sounding, more fat and oomphy, with a more powerful and intense tuning that grabs your attention. Bass is fatter and more punchy, more guttural. But the rest is in many ways quite similar, maybe Luxe4 is OTL’s long lost silver cousin, or brother, or at least friend? Both are very resolving, with lot of midrange bite and clarity. They both have very tall stages, ethereal upper mids with a touch of extra treble energy, with vocals that sound out of this world. Both have great bass too, while OTL is faster, Luxe4 is no slouch either. L4 is more silver sounding for sure, but still has this angelic quality the OTL also possess in its own way. Ergo wise they demolish the rest of these, just so comfortable, thin and light. Just wanted to share this thought, for those that love the OTL, the L4 would be a very interesting idea for those looking for a little bit of variety.








FC4W vs Nightjar Sovereign Symphony :

Putting the Nightjar Sovereign Symphony into the mix here is very interesting indeed. I have just received the SS this past week, and it’s way too early to make any conclusions, or even strong statements, but I will give a very small preview here ahead of my full review coming soon. The SS seems to take good things from both the FC4W and Orpheus, more alike than different, with the SS seemingly sitting right in-between the two. It has the immense staging and big note weight of both, keeping much of the neutrality, speed and transparency of FC4W, while having a lot of the analog and emotional feeling the Orpheus brings. And a touch of warmth to boot, with the slightest sense of glow and gleam too. It’s not as fast and punchy as FC, nor as smooth as Orphy. Stage wise it may be the biggest of them both, but not the widest or tallest, it has a very enveloping stage that surrounds you. Size wise it is very similar to FC4W, being very heavy, thick and imposing. The win it has here is the lack of any ear-hook shrink, which makes it much easier to wear, without floating above your ears and pulling IEMs out of your ears as much. Sonically it’s a very impressive blend of musicality and technicals, while the FC is massive and powerful, this might be a touch more soulful, but only time will tell. In keeping with RSD’s style, the FC4W is their pinnacle product, the absolute best they can make, nothing held back. The SS is Nightjar’s effort for the same, and I’ll have to spend a lot more time to see which of these monsters emerges the winner - if any.

I wont say the SS has the best of both worlds, but I am getting some hints in this direction as I hear it breaking in. Again, I’ve only had it a week or two, it’s far too early to judge heavily here. Stay tuned for that.






FC4W vs Orpheus:

Quick recap: FC4W has a tighter and faster sound overall. Orphy is unapologetically slower, more rounded, smoother. FC bass is punchier and more neutral, Orphy has a bigger bass quantity that flavors mid bass. Quality is similar despite their characteristics being almost opposite. Mids the Orpheus is more stretched out wide. FC has a tighter sound, faster and sharper transients, mids are more forward, stage is much deeper and tall. Similar note weight. FC is more neutral, Orphy is warmer. Treble is quite different, Orphy is rolled off and smoother, FC2 is brighter and more revealing, with more extension. Both have pitch black backgrounds. Very different approaches, very different sounds. Both very very impressive stuff.










CONCLUSION

So there you have it, the best RSD has to offer, something for everyone really. In keeping with the RSD house sound; technical and revealing, fast and articulate, slight uptick in energy in the lower treble, big sound with big note weight - they all pass the test for great sound, and big upgrades over mere mortal stock cables. As a huge fan boy of PW Audio cables, this was an interesting experience to discover another equally impressive family of cables that cover many bases as well, and offer huge sonic upgrades with whatever I used them with. They are more colorful, heavy, rubbery, and unwieldy than the PW stuff. I used to think the Orphy was almost silly big and heavy, now it feels small and light in comparison. It’s funny how my audio cable journey has progressed, what began as the most I could handle, becomes sort of medium, in my unquenchable quest for the best it does seem that bigger is maybe indeed better. More is more. Or I’ve lost my mind, and I should re-evaluate my life’s choices. Or not, that sounds super boring!


But there is also something secretive, unique and rather mysterious about Rhapsodio’s work, almost like those in the know, know, and the rest of us are always wondering if we’re missing out on something. I can tell you that Sammy’s work is really special, and if you get a chance, check out his cables. They all sound great, the Fantasies Copper cables are really a work of tuinig art. The new Luxe4 is something very special too - you just need to hear them to know what I mean.


I hope this was helpful, informative or at least entertaining. I know it was long, but there’s a lot to be said here. I wish to take a moment to thank @Solarsammy for letting me spend such a long time with these, answering my myriad questions, always being willing to send me more stuff, and just in general being one of the nicest guys on the planet! Thank you bro!

For anyone looking to get one of these for themselves you can do so on RSD’s web-shop here - or via one of his dealers here.



Thanks for reading!

www.tonetexturesoul.com

You can also read this on my new website here!

Greetings dear Head-fiers, and welcome to my review of the iFi GoPods! What a cool invention these are, find a need, fill a need; indeed. For anyone that has ever dreamed of bringing their IEMs out and about, about the house or room, in an airport or train, or just chilling on the couch watching a movie in epic surround sound, these are the way one would do so. With a lot of world’s firsts, like a Qualcomm chipset with DAC and amp, lossless codecs and even an IPX4 rating, they are tech packed. (Just don’t get your summit IEMs wet to test that last part.) They are essentially a small brick with a flexible cable that you plug into your IEMs, the housing goes behind your ears with all that Bluetooth tech inside, plus enough oomph to power most IEMs well enough to rock out. They come in a case that charges them, like traditional TWS sets would, and they function more or less in the same way as your AirPods or similar do. Take them out of the case, they connect, and you’re off to the races. You can use any IEM you want, with 2 pin and mmcx included, and others available to purchase separately. You can use any IEM you want, bringing true wireless playback that was previously not possible. Sound too good to be true? Not really, they do exactly as you described, and the results are quite good. Audiophile good? With the best codec (device dependent) and an IEM that is easy to drive - totally. Will they compete with your summit DAP and TOTL cables made of exotic materials harvested from a meteorite and infused with magic? No, they won’t. But you’d be surprised how close they do get. It’s pretty amazing. I’m not here to say that you would skip the wired DAP setup, these don’t replace, but they are good enough to bring your favorite (but maybe not the most power hungry) IEMs with you, wirelessly, making them infinitely more convenient. I found myself jamming out in the supermarket with my Traillii Ti, dancing down the aisles and head banging without a care in the world, almost forgetting that I was using a $8500 IEM with essentially a Bluetooth dongle wrapped around my ears and a phone in my pocket.


As a self professed extreme audiophile and purist, some of you may be saying I’ve lost my nerve and gone soft! These are fun, even awesome, but they won’t have you leaving the big boy gear at home for real critical listening. And I wouldn’t necessarily use them with my best sets, case in point the Traillii Ti was fun, but I would probably relegate these to a set of customs that I don’t use full time, not my #1. But they definitelty would have a place in my life, if I was to buy them. I had my Jewel CIEM on these for a week or and enjoyed it, though the Jewel certainly can sound better scaling up with better/more power. The earpieces aren’t super heavy, or super big, but I greatly preferred them with customs over universals. This way you just grab them and go, stick the case in your backpack and spend the day out and about. Seeing as I was able to try these out for several months, on 3 different tours all over the world, plus plenty of time at home and at my desk - I do feel I can be quite impartial about my extended experience. I tried them with as many IEMs as I could, with as many sources as I could, though since this is a BT device the source doesn’t really matter, only the codec does. A warning; this review will be shorter than my usuals, simply because for one I don’t have anything to compare it to, and there isn’t a need for in depth frequency impressions either. I will be the first to admit, that while I am a very techno-savvy guy, this is my first Bluetooth audio device. (I’m a super purist remember) So please be aware I don’t have a big history with these types of products, and if there is something in the functionality or setup I mention issues with, it could be that I am a super NOOB when it comes to BT and nothing more. Because of that, I will leave the tech details to someone else, and I will focus on the sound and the usability. There is one tech thing I do know: the GoPod is self adjusting for impedance, which means that it “should” perform equally well with all IEMs, as long as they aren’t crazy power hungry, within reason. This is a cool feature as the GodPods do this automatically with each IEM you use, so you’ll always get the closest value to each IEM you connect, and should help to negate possible synergy issues. You can find all the tech you’d ever want to know here: https://ifi-audio.com/products/go-pod/






Before I get into the details let me quickly do my usual testing gear rundown and disclaimer in favor of transparency:

-This is a demo unit, and will be returned to iFi after my review. I was asked to review these directly by iFi, and nothing was asked of me in exchange for my impressions, feelings and experience.

-To be clear, I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I don’t do this for work, I spend an enormous amount of time on these. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out cash, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. That doesn’t mean my reviews are in any way slanted by pure adoration, I pride myself on being very neutral and sharing my thoughts in a way that will benefit the community. Honestly and no fluff.

-I used a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spent several months with these simply listening to whatever inspired me like I normally would. I love all kinds of music, and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion, you absolutely should take how their musical tastes match or differ from your own. A few excepts from my latest listening roster

Jazz: Snarky Puppy, GoGo Penguin, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Hunter, Avishai Cohen, Kandace Springs, Chris Potter, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Julian Lage, Funky Knuckles, Ghost Note, Aaron Parks.
Rock: Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Rage Against The Machine, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau, Them Crooked Vultures, Tom Petty, Jackson Brown, Jethro Tull.
Modern Music: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, Asgeir, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Glass Animals, Jacob Collier, Moonchild, Robert Glasper, Hiatus Coyote.
Electronic: Om Unit, Emancipator, Kryptic Minds, Bonobo, FKJ, Djrum, Synkro
Heavy Music: Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, Polyphia, TesseracT, Meshuggah, Hacktivist, Trivium, Sevendust, Periphery, Sepultura, Intervals, Plini, Polyphia.


For my source I used primarily my iPhone 15 MAX, as well as my Sony WMZ1M2. For IEMs I used Aroma Jewel, Traillii, Traillii Ti, Supreme V3, Amber Pearl, and 64A 18t.


Without further ado, let’s get into it!






BOX-USE-ACCESSORIES

When I opened the box from iFi I was greeted to a batman style black protective case that doubles as a charger, and I was surprised how big it was. I read that many had the same first impression. Obviously it’s much larger than the pocketable ApplePods kind of case, but you have to remember that these are meant to hold IEMs. When you realize there is ample room inside to house IEMs, with the BT adapters installed, plus the battery, then it does seem like they made it about as small as they could. In fact, some of my larger IEMs made closing the lid difficult, and if they made it any less tall they wouldn’t fit at all. The case isn’t great for your pocket, but tossed inside a backpack/day bag it’s quite fine. When you open the case you’re greeted to a fancy trick, your IEMs are bathed in blue LED light, making the whole experience feel quite upscale, if ultimately unnecessary. I mean it’s cool, but I hope they don’t charge more for that. Some might be more enthused than I, presentation means a lot to many of us. Once when going through airport security they flagged my bag, and when the security lady opened them up she was visibly impressed! Like she was looking at some space materials laser ray in this fancy box, wondering what they might be. When I said they were headphones she handed them back to me with a nod of approval, maybe a touch of jealousy, and for a moment I felt like a jet-setting millionaire. If only I could have hopped off to the 1st class lounge for some champagne and cigars, but alas as impressive looking as the case is, I would need a vastly larger income for that type of fancy lifestyle!

I found the battery to last quite a while, so much so that I didn’t really think about charging them. iFi website says 7 hours, plus another 3 full charges from the case. I was on a week tour, used them for several hours a day, and I was able to top them up a few times with enough power in reserves without ever charging the case, so that tracks. In real word use I think there’s plenty of battery for these to go even a few days without the case, though I always stored them in the case because why not. This is basically the same, or better, than AirPods, and when considering they are powering real IEMs, I would say that the battery life is quite impressive. A word on build quality if I may. They seem well built, and the cable going from the GoPod to the IEM is rubber and fairly robust. It's pretty tightly curved, so you need to bend the cable a bit to slide it all on your ears. They say these are IPX5 rated, so they can take some sweat, but I don't think the IEMs feel the same way, so not really sure if this is a plus. As you can clearly see in the photos, despite my efforts to polish them up, they are quite scratched up. Maybe this demo has made the rounds for quite some time, or the finish is prone to scratches. Just so you know, these are probably meant to get a little dinged up.

As mentioned earlier, I am a BT noob. But even I was able to pair the GoPods with my iPhone quickly and easily. Just hold the buttons on both transmitters until the light flashes blue and red, connect with phone/device and voila. When you take them out of the case they reconnect automatically, put them back in and they automatically start to charge. A pretty seamless experience, for the most part. I did in fact have some issues with connection, but it could fully be my fault. Sometimes I would take them out, put them in my ears and nada. I tried tapping the button on both earpieces, I would hear a chime and then they would be connected. Sometimes that wouldn’t work, and I would have to reconnect them again, and this got frustrating. When I used them all day this seemed to disappear, so perhaps this is a BT thing? (Again my first BT device). Not the biggest deal - I would imagine that if you use them all the time with only one device they would connect automatically every time. In daily use the connection was stable, I even walked to the other side of my apartment without realizing it and the music never missed a beat. I would occasionally get this weird effect where one side’s volume would be lower for a few moments, or both, but it would right itself quickly. When connected to the phone it was quite seamless, but I did get some weirdness using my Sony WMZ1M2. Sometimes tapping the touch button, instead of pausing the music, it would disconnect the GoPods and I would have to go into settings and reconnect. A few times I touched the button on one of the earpieces trying to pause the music, suddenly there was no sound, but only on that side. I touched the button again and it started up, very weird. Maybe this is a bug with the Sony, a bad demo unit, or maybe this is normal for BT gear? I really have no idea. Seems kind of wonky, but what do I know. Chock this one up to user error most likely. 95% of the time it was stable, automatic, and quite enjoyable.








I personally never found the size or physical aspect of the GoPods to be bothersome. Their small weight helps to hold the IEM in place, they nestle back there and don’t feel overly hindering. They are fairly big, and bulky to boot, but the only time I really noticed them negatively was if I leaned back in my chair or into my pillow, and then it was hard to find a spot where my head could relax. Walking, sitting, moving around, no issues. It’s certainly easier and faster getting the music going compared to my usual wired setup. I usually do my listening on the LP6 Ti AE with some heavy duty cable like the Orpheus, so this was a breath of fresh air when I was in the mood to just grab and go. Open case, insert and rock out, repeat. I do see the appeal here, even if honestly I’m more of an analog guy who prefers physical dials, and the feel of an actual device in my hands. But that’s just me, I’m always at the dead-center of the minority when it comes to form over function. The GoPods do look a bit funny wearing them, my wife always snickering at me when she passed by during my testing, but that’s hardly new for me. It was no different than me plugged into my usual summit rig, as she gives me that sweet understanding smile that says “I know you love it, and I love it because of that, but I don’t really get it”. She’s awesome.

My only real gripe with these is (the aforementioned) touch sensitive buttons. I know this feature is all the rage with BT gear, you can tap and control everything from your earpieces, which is cool. But the placement of the GoPod button at the tail end of the device, and its eerily touch sensitiveness made for a lot of accidental touches, some stopped/skipped tracks and a whole lot of my Netflix movies pausing without my intention. I realize this is a normal BT feature, but since the button isn’t on the actual earpieces like in AirPods, you have to feel around for it on the brick part behind your ears. That means wandering your finger around looking for it, and most of the time I would graze it by accident with the side of my finger before finally finding the spot. I would have greatly preferred a physical button here. You could feel for it, find the spot, and then execute your desired command while being able to rest your finger on the button itself. Controlling the volume requires a press and hold, but it would usually just pause the track instead, holding onto it long enough to make such a touch input I found strangely difficult. If I put the GoPods back in the case, just handling them would usually restart my music or movie and I’d have to get them seated in the case, then double check to see that everything was off. Taking them out of the case was the same, I had to be very careful or I was greeted with music before I even got them in my ears. Even adjusting your IEMs, if you aren’t careful, you’d touch the button. Also, the textured plastic surrounding the button, and the section right next to it, have the same feel, so this makes it hard to do this based on haptic feedback.

Maybe if I used them every single day I would have better control. Maybe if I was used to BT headsets this would be second nature. Maybe I’m just old school, but I ended up not using the touch buttons at all. Maybe I’m just a noob. I’m sure for others this isn’t an issue, but I would wish for a physical button here, there is certainly enough real estate there. Vintage guy rant over, small potatoes.








SOUND
Let’s get into the sound shall we? Bottom line, they sound great! This is as close to a pure audiophile experience as you can get without the wires. Does it sounds the same as when you sit with your DAP and cable in a quiet room with your eyes closed? No it doesn’t but it’s really really close. I mention the eyes closed/quiet room because why would you use these for critical listening in a nice perfect environment? These are for trams, travel, walking about, vacuuming the house, your daily life kind of stuff. Working on the computer and moving around my studio getting a shoot ready was very convenient and freeing. Put in this context they sound awesome. Like a small DAP, or even a good dongle type of good. I was testing back and forth many many times, and when using a device that supports LDAC the results were amazingly good for most styles. For some unknown reason, Apple, in their infinite wisdom, didn’t put LDAC (or any lossless codec) into the iPhone, spoiling an otherwise perfect device. I’m sure this has to do with some feud they have against another company, ala Flash from distant memory, but it’s a shame nonetheless. But my wife’s Android has LDAC, as well as my Sony M2, which I used for my AB testing since I can use the same track wired and wireless in Hi-Res. In general, compare to wired, I notice in the mids there is less texture, detail seems very similar but the timbre is a bit off. This is not to say it’s unnatural, but it’s not quite the same. And there slightly less bass reach, and similarly less top end extension. I found the sub bass to rumble just a bit less, and the treble was slightly stunted, and perhaps a bit less natural sounding with a smidge hint of artifacts. But this is really nitpicking. Other than these small differences the SQ is really quite remarkable for a BT TWS setup. While the difference between AAC and LDAC isn’t enormous, the latter does sound more natural and less compressed over AAC’s lower quality. If I had to try and explain, while listening weird to Tidal MAX wired, going to LDAC sounds like coming back to HQ, and AAC down to 44.1 or something like that. And it depends on the source material too. I found with anything that was spacious and open, the GoPods sounded great with little loss. When I switched to more compact and crowded music, or fast and complex stuff like metal, things got a bit more murky. Definitely still good, but not as convincing. So pop, vocals, lighter rock, electronic, and anything open and cleanly recorded will sound quite natural, albeit with a slight loss in timbre and texture. Metal, heavy rock, orchestral and anything really crowded less so, but still ok.

One thing I thought about a lot was how the GoPods sound really good with great sounding IEMs. Perhaps that was confusing. What I mean is, if you have amazing IEMs to begin with, the GodPods provide enough power to bring out their innate goodness. If your IEMs are just ok then the GoPods won’t add the magic that an amazing source or amp could provide. IEMs all scale with better gear - this isn’t really any different. If I use a dongle with my phone, or a good DAP, or add an amp, or use a desktop rig, the performance will increase along with the upgrades. The GoPods sound great, but you should expect performance based on the size and power they provide. Add that to the uber convenience they provide, and you have a super product.






CONCLUSION
So who are these for? Well for a BT device they aren’t super cheap, coming in at ~$400. That includes the GoPods, charging case, and two connector cables in 2 pin and mmcx. That’s as expensive as any high end TWS set currently available, and then some. But the possibilities here BY FAR surpass the performance and SQ of ANY TWS on the market for sure. When framed as a TWS device they are fabulous, really. The fact that you can use them with any IEM in the world makes for an extremely flexible setup, and one that can be swapped and upgraded with new IEMs at any time, even multiple times in a single day. The sky is the limit here. How cool of an idea is that?!! And as I said at the beginning, most IEM’s work quite well with the GoPod. While the experience won’t be exactly the same as wired, it’s really quite close. The simple fact that I have to continuously mention how good these are “for a TWS device” should clue you in to what’s going on here. They won’t replace your wired setup, they’re not supposed to. They are simply a way to bring your fancy IEMs with you, greatly enhancing the possibilities for a wireless audio experience anywhere you might find yourself.

For ease of use I found them far more convenient just using my phone, regardless of the lack of Hi-Res codec. I always have my phone, and somehow using a DAP with these seems unnecessary. I did a few times setup for a shoot and get all my gear prepared using the Sony M2 and it was quite fun. I found the iPhone to be much more stable, and the touch commands, as sensitive as they are, worked correctly. AAC sound pretty good too! For fit and comfort, customs are my preference, but any IEMs with “regular” power needs do well. And since the GoPods adjust impedance automatically, you should have quite balanced performance from your whole collection. For me Traillii and Amber Pearl were powered just fine, 18t too. Jewel was fine, but it needs more power to really shine. Stuff like Sup V3, Creator, or Storm wouldn’t be ideal at all, but honestly who is going to use GoPods with these crazy kilobuck summit IEMs anyway? Remember that volume and power are NOT the same thing. So while the GoPods will get basically any IEM up to the volume you’d want, that doesn’t mean they are giving your hungry IEMs enough juice to perform at their best. But who would be expecting that anyway - this a TWS set meant for one thing: bringing your music with you, anywhere you go, in the best quality possible for a wireless setup. And at that they excel, a great idea turned into a great product. See a need, fill a need. Indeed! Well done iFi

That’s all for me, I hope this review has been helpful. I realize that I ask a lot of gear, and I’m probably more critical than most. But these surpassed my expectations, and I really enjoyed myself with them. BT is pretty cool! So, if you’re in the market for bringing your fancy IEMs into the wireless world, this is your ticket. If you understand the limitations of wireless, these are fantastic. They’re pricey, but I will definitely miss the demo unit once I send it back. Thanks for reading!

Greetings my dear audiophiles, and welcome to my full review of the Rhapsodio Supreme V3! I’m quite excited to get into this one, simply because this is one amazing and extremely unique piece of gear. No-one seems to know about it, there is so little information and/or reviews for Rhapsodio gear. Crickets online. But while the western world seems to have a very limited knowledge of Rhapsodio gear (hereby referred to as simply RSD for brevity), they are surely considered one of the very best in Asia, and one of the top Head-fi designers in the world. The V3 is something unique, very special indeed. Unlike anything I have reviewed, or even experienced myself. Summit-fi without question. Something that truly needs to be heard to understand. It is cutting edge, with insanely high resolution, and a massive stage with such depth it is frankly out of this world. And did I mention that it’s only one driver!?! A single Magneto-static driver is the only thing under the hood, and armed with all kinds of patented tech (which can be viewed here) this is for sure the most resolving single driver IEM of all time, and shockingly may also be the most of any IEM I’ve ever heard. The V3 itself has an almost cult-like following, and so at the behest of several friends who own one, I was so inspired to hear it for myself that I tracked down the designer, became friends, and eventually he graciously sent me one to review, along with about eight of his cables. This was my first experience with anything RSD, so I was really excited to have to opportunity to share my experiences with the world. In some way I feel I am introducing Rhapsodio to the western world, and while that is of course not true, I sadly see very little mention of them on Head-Fi in the most popular threads and communities. I intend to change that if I can, starting here, with their ultra flagship, the Supreme V3. I take that responsibility very seriously, and since this is an exorbitantly expensive piece of kit, coming in north of $6.4k USD, this IEM deserves both my respect, and my honesty. To oblige that sense of fairness and openness, I will be directly comparing the V3 to a stable of current Summit-Fit contenders: Oriolus Traillii, FitEar Creator, UM Amber Pearl, and Aroma Jewel.


Right off the bat this is not an IEM for everyone, nor for all genres. For one it is made of solid brass, like a trumpet or saxophone, and is quite heavy. Sonically it is very unique, with a tuning that is rather specialized. It has a bell like clarity and tonality that is unmistakable, that comes no doubt from its all metal body. It is fantastically resolving, super textured, and very musical. It is vast and epic, with surgical precision framed by lush beauty that simply cannot be ignored. I will say that it is in fact the most resolving IEM I have ever heard. Yes, crazy. More so than Storm or Ragnar even, and it does so without sounding harsh, bright, or overly anything’ed to achieve this. It’s also quite hard to power to potential. While you can get the volume to adequate levels with “normal” gear, the V3 truly shines with scaled up equipment. A desktop rig, external amp or very powerful DAP is recommended. It has the most detailed and crazy defined mids I have ever heard. Very extended treble with nice sparkle, without any harness or glare. The stage is gargantuan, with more depth than I have ever heard from an IEM. But, and it’s a big but, its ultra specialized tuning will absolutely not work for everything. It excels for certain genes, and when it does it’s glorious. I would cautiously say it was designed for “Asian” music, more delicate and polished, over a thick and meaty rock sound or electronic rumbles. It could be called thin-ish, at least compared to others, and there just won’t be enough bass quantity and sub rumble for a lot of people. I would not recommend this for a bass head, even though the bass quality is fantastic. It sounds undeniably god-like when listening to vocals, instruments, or jazz, just breathtaking. Anything well produced will shine like a diamond. Metal, rock and heavier weighted music it’s a bit too thin, too much clarity and shine for the lack of weight in the lower mids and bass to balance it out. EDM is very energetic and tight, and the spacial positioning is simply off the charts good. But unless you prefer your EDM bass shy, which is a bit of a misnomer, this might not be your bag. If you like incredible tactility, godlike vocals, endless technical prowess, with supreme musicality in a package that sounds like nothing else, this could be your thing.

**EDIT 2.7.24 - After further experimentation with more tips and extended breakin I feel it necessary to mention that my ear anatomy has probably played a role in the "lack" of bass quantity/presence/thickness. While the V3 is not bass heavy, in the spirit of being honest and transparent, please take my review and impressions below with that understanding.**




Before I get into the details let me quickly do my usual testing gear rundown and disclaimer in favor of transparency:

-This is a demo unit, and will be returned to RSD after my review. I asked to review it, and Sammy (RSD’s wonderful owner/creator) sent me one for this purpose only. As he recommended I had the V3 on burn-in for 200+ hrs before doing any critical listening. The V3 has a good stock cable, but since “the sound” is using RSD’s fabled Copper Fantasies cable, (the purple one) I used that predominantly. I also spent a good deal of time with the Orphy attached, which is also quite stunning.

-To be clear, I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I don’t do this for work, I spend an enormous amount of time on these. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out enormous amount of cash, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews you will know that I usually choose very expensive gear. This here is a very expensive IEM, clocking in at the aforementioned $6.4k +, which is simple insanity. The pricing of gear is totally nuts and we’re headed for Armageddon if this continues ( I think I’ve copy pasted this in a few reviews now). Considering the company we’re in here, all this stuff is stupid expensive and we’re all totally off our rockers. Please try to keep in mind that some people in this world have the money for these kinds of toys, so I will try to focus my review on the sonic aspects primarily, so we can take a look at these here Summit-fi showstopper without their cash melting contexts. If you are insulted or morally wronged by the price tag just leave now, I won’t blame you at all. It costs a literal arm and leg; moving on.

-I used a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spent several weeks simply listening to whatever inspired me like I normally would. I love all kinds of music, and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion you absolutely should take how their musical tastes match or differ from your own. A few excepts from my latest listening roster:

Jazz: Snarky Puppy, GoGo Penguin, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Hunter, Avishai Cohen, Kandace Springs, Chris Potter, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Julian Lage, Funky Knuckles, Ghost Note, Aaron Parks.

Rock: Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Rage Against The Machine, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau, Them Crooked Vultures, Tom Petty, Jackson Brown, Jethro Tull.

Modern Music: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, Asgeir, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Glass Animals, Jacob Collier, Moonchild, Robert Glasper, Hiatus Coyote.

Electronic: Om Unit, Emancipator, Kryptic Minds, Bonobo, FKJ, Djrum, Synkro

Heavy Music: Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, Polyphia, TesseracT, Meshuggah, Hacktivist, Trivium, Sevendust, Periphery, Sepultura, Intervals, Plini, Polyphia.

- As my source I used my LP6 Ti AE and Sony WM1ZM2. These are both very analog DAPs with smoother treble response, so my findings could vary using a brighter or more reference tuned DAP. For IEM comparisons, as mentioned above, I used the Oriolus Traillii, Aroma Jewel, FitEar Creator, and UM Amber Pearl.



Without further ado, let’s get into it!







UNBOXING
I normally spend very little time with unboxing and the whole “experience”. I choose to break the goods out as quickly as possible, get them in my ears and just jam out. The box and all fancy accessories just sit on a shelf, or in a closet. I know some people care, I don’t. The V3 comes in a nice bamboo box, inside there is a shiny metal case that has a fancy looking ball-peened finish. Inside you’ll find a couple sets of tips, the stock cable, and the V3’s nestled snuggly in a pair of yellow IEM bags. I found the metal box to be cosmetic use only, there is no soft or padded liner of any kind, so you’d need to keep the IEMs in their bags to use it. The top also screws on, so I think it’s more for presentation than actual daily use. The bamboo box has a nice cushioned interior, with a circular space cut out where the metal box sits, so if you don’t use the metal box you could potentially use the Bamboo as IEM storage. It’s a fairly basic package, quite simplistic and eco friendly which I can appreciate. There is a definite lack of cardboard and other nonsense inside, and it does feel well thought out. For me this is plenty. Others may want more for their $6k, but to me the R&D and millions of hours spent designing this thing is enough. Moving on.


IEM and FIT
These are big and heavy IEMs, they’re solid Brass. I found the shape to be quite ergonomic, and while I have smaller ears they fit pretty well. They do stick out of my ears some, but I can imagine for a set of “normal ears” the fit should be good. They are fairly CIEM shaped on the back side, with a long nozzle designed for deep insertion. They are about the same size as a CIEM of mine, so if they fit your ears they could be very comfortable, even if the weight can sometimes make them feel like they are falling out a bit. I did have some issues with seal coming and going, and I think the weight played a role in this. The nozzle is fairly long and angled up a bit, so I found pushing or angling them up or down allowed me to hear the V3 hitting my eardrum at slightly different angles. This did in fact change the sound, and there was a sweet spot when the nozzle was just right, opening up the stage and getting more headroom. I also got a good seal with several tips but the bass response was rather weak, but when I found the right tips, and the right angle the bass was deeper, more punchy and higher in quantity. This is of course due to my personal ear anatomy and should be understood as such. I did have some friends try them out, and their sonic impressions were the same as mine, but perhaps my findings could be ever so slightly tilted because of my ear’s physical dimensions and angles. If these were available in custom form I can imagine that it would be better for me, but the overall tuning would be the same. When I did my critical listening I was holding the IEMs at the right angle when needed to maintain consistency. Usually the fit was good, seal was good, and I could listen for some time before needing to adjust them.

A word on brass if I may. Sammy also sent me a set of V3 done in acrylic, just a prototype so I could hear what the brass does to the sound. Let me tell you, if anyone ever felt that shell material doesn’t affect the sound, they should take a listen to these two back to back. If I had to describe it, think of a trumpet’s bell, the way it’s designed to amplify and project the instrument’s tonality for the audience. The V3 sounds like that. Bell like and rich in overtones. The acrylic version sounds good, but the magic, that V3’ness, I can attest comes from the brass material. It’s just more articulate, more detailed, more fresh and crisp. He tried many other materials, but I can say Sammy really did his research here, because the brass really does bring something special to the mix. Like it or not, that’s one of the V3’s secret sauces right there. But it comes with the trade-off that they are heavy, cold to the touch when not in use, and all the usual stuff that comes with metal shells. I was excited to compare the V3 and Creator, simply because they are both solid metal shells, one Brass the other Titanium. They couldn’t be more different in tuning and style, but it was clear the materials used in both made a substantial difference in the final sound. Metal does indeed impart some sonic upgrades, some kind of magic infusion!









These are very tip dependent, perhaps more so than any IEM I have ever tried. I will be the first to admit that my ear canals are a bit too narrow for this IEM to be comfortable for longer periods, but I know from all other V3 owners that it is very, very sensitive to tip choice. Ultimately I preferred the Eletech Baroque tips both sonically and ergo wise. With these the fit was fine, they stayed in my ears well enough, and they were the most open, and detailed of anything else I tried. If anyone hasn’t tired these yet they are magic. I also had good luck with the included stock silicone tips, while they were less comfortable they did give me a slightly deeper more prominent bass. They’re a bit more stiff, so I guess the seal was somehow better, though less open and airy.

The shells themselves are gorgeous, and this is coming from a guy who infamously doesn’t like bling or shiny things very much. Would I choose this style? Nope, but I will say that after some time I grew to appreciate, even like their looks. The brass is gold-plated and looks gorgeous. The shells are mirror like, and the faceplates have this very slightly hammered texture to them when you look closely. From a distance they look like a solid piece of gold, so if you like bling these are perhaps the most gorgeous IEMs you will ever see. They are finger prints magnets, and basically impossible to keep perfect. I saw tiny hair scratches on the faceplates after using them only a few times, despite keeping them in the soft bags always, and handling them with the utmost care. That’s the tradeoff for a mirror finish (The Creator too), thankfully you only see this when you look very closely, otherwise they look polished and shiny golden all the time. I will say that these are perhaps the best made and most sturdy IEM I have ever tried. The finish is perfect, the seams impeccable. The weight adds to that feeling, they have heft for sure. Sammy uses his own proprietary 2 pic sockets that are spring mounted, when you plug in a cable it feels so robust and secure. They are a whole different level than the usual plastic or resin mounted that you see in every other IEM. I’ve seen this type of socket once before, in the Subtonic Storm. The V3’s sockets are white, and you can see it’s a separate part that can be swapped out if needed. Overall, if you can handle the weight and the fit is good, these are a work of art that you can treasure forever.








The stock cable is a 2 wire pure copper, which for all intents and purposes makes me think of the PW 1960s 2 wire. It has the same sleeved look and feel, is about the same level of microphonics and scratchiness, and performance wise I found it very similar. Like a good pure copper, it’s a nice stock cable for sure. A bit tangly, but par for the course of this type. Since my aforementioned friends all swear by the V3 being paired ONLY with the RSD Copper Fantasies, as I mentioned above, I spent most of my time with this combo. I will attest that after trying many other cables with the V3, nothing else quite compared to the synergy of purple and gold. They were literally designed for each other, but that brings the cost of this combo to over $9k, and some may arguably scoff and shout for sure. Insane prices. I just want it known that, price no contest, V3 + RSD CF is nuts. For the rest of my time I had the Orpheus super glued on there, and it was also fantastic. I’ll get more into the cable match-ups later in the review.


SOUND

How does this golden thing sound? Frankly it’s really hard to put into words. It sounds like nothing else out there, very unique. With the right material, they are god like. They’ll make you s&^% your pants, really. The spatial positioning and resolutional prowess is undeniably jaw-dropping. They are super fast and articulate. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard in an IEM, I promise you. But… I don’t want this review to be overly full of cliche caveats, but it is unavoidable. I simply cannot toss out “god-like” and “pants-staining” without an explanation as to why you shouldn’t all run out immediately, sell your car, and buy this IEM. The tuning is very unique, and may not be a fan favorite for some of you. It’s not bright, but it is very clear and present, with a great sense of energy and intensity. It’s very musical, it’s not harsh, but man is it really resolving and sharp. There is a slight rise in the upper mids around 8khz, which gives them a notch extra bite and clarity. As I mentioned above, it’s a bit on the thin side, and the low mids and bottom end aren’t super flushed out or thick either. So it comes across more delicate and airy than thick or juicy. It is very powerful sounding, but in a different sense. It has a very lust-full midrange, with quite good weight, but the rest of the spectrum is lighter and more refreshing over meaty. I hope that can be understood. I am very careful in using words like thin since they have a nasty connotation, but in this case it’s a kind of magic lightweight sound, delicate and airy. Open and clear. This is done intentionally, the tuning is very accurate. And when the genre is right, these are going to blow your face off your head.


I will be the first to admit these are not what I would buy to cover all my genres. This is not your father’s all-rounded summit-fi IEM. They are not for everyone, and probably not a daily driver. I could imagine buying them if I had 1 or 2 others that covered all my bases, and I needed one special staggering IEM that I brought out only when I had the time and situation to really appreciate them. These demand your attention. They exude class and refinement. They are fantastic really, but for certain kinds of music especially. While you can listen to anything with them; they do sound good for everything as I found in my numerous hours long sessions with them. But they only really shine like diamonds from the sky with certain genres. Pop and Asian music. Ambient. Modern jazz. Acoustic music. Vocals, man these are something else. Exquisitely mastered music will make you question things about your soul. Really. But, again with the caveat, for other styles they are just good, even not the right choice. Rock and metal there is too much “brass” going on, unless you like it fast and lean with every detail flying in your face. And if you fancy a meaty juicy sound then these simply won’t work for you. Bass heavy listeners can read on but perhaps only for the fun of it. While the quality is fantastic, these are just not tuned for that kind of thing. I was able to listen for longer sessions, but I will attest that the sheer amount of detail and raw textured presentation can indeed be overwhelming.







BASS

The V3 has great bass. It has a very DD quality while there’s a little something extra coming from the unique implementation of the Magneto-static driver. This is not your standard DD sound, it’s much faster and cleaner than I expected. It’s quite textured, but fast and crisp like BA bass. You could say the best of both worlds. It reaches quite deep, but you don’t feel that throbbing sub rumble as much as you’d perhaps wish. After doing some rolling frequency tests I can verify that it reaches all the way to 20hz, I could feel it all the way down as it never trailed off. Quantity is pretty even between sub and mid, but for me it just sounds more prominent in the midbass, even if I know for sure that the quantities are linear. Mid bass is very textured, all the bass is, but you hear this quality more in the upper bass than in the deepest lows. It is very fast and punchy, very tactile and crisp, but I was missing a bit of that pushing air feeling. The rumble, the guts churning. While I was doing some EDM tests I was actually quite blown away with the quality and speed, it was simply not enough of a presence to be felt the way I would want. It all comes down to the tuning, the V3 was simply not meant for that kind of thing. Think a little less bass than Ragnar, with great texture and control just neutral quantity. But put on some Avishai Cohen or Nenad Vasilic and be treated to some of the most realistic acoustic bass you’ve ever heard.

This is the bass in the V3, it’s very realistic when using actual instruments. Synthetic bass is great too, but the uniqueness and passion of the V3 is when presenting real instruments. Texture, feel, grit, thump, bounce, decay, all are top level. The depth of these IEM shows even quite clearly in the bass region, I can hear kick drums and thuds decaying in front of me with astonishing clarity. It’s quite something. So while there may not be oodles of heavy bass, the quality and presentation is extremely impressive.


BASS COMPARISONS
All my others IEMs have more bass, that is clear. It’s not like the V3 is way bass shy, it simply presents the bass is a more neutral and less frontal way. Traillii has great bass, even for a BA set the texture and “feel” is top notch. I hear more sub bass than midbass, and it has great rumble and authority. There is plenty of bass for me, and this is honestly one of my favorite bass presentations regardless of the lack of a DD. V3 is faster, more textured, but does not have that enveloping sensation. Amber Pearl and Creator both have far more bass. AP is faster and punchier, Creator is the most textured of all being a bit slower but very deep and satisfying. AP has the largest quantity of all of these, to the point of being somewhat overwhelming to the other frequencies, while Creator is simply full and deep and more balanced with the rest of the spectrum. Jewel is more neutral, but has great speed for a DD, though I don’t hear it reach as low as others. My favorite bass of these is the Creator, that dual series-wired 9mm drivers are just so analog and textured everything else feels less so in comparison. V3 is the fastest by far, even more so than AP.


DEEPEST > Creator/Traillii - AP/SV3 - Jewel
TEXTURED > Creator/SV3 - Jewel - AP/Traillii
PUNCHIEST > V3/AP- Creator/Jewel/Traillii
ACCURATE > Jewel/V3 - Creator/Traillii - AP






MIDS
Here is where the V3 starts to shred everything else, at least in terms of abilities. I will try my best to explain here, but I need you all to know something first; this is audio like you’ve never heard in a portable setup. The space, details, stage and overall presentation is totally out of this world. There is seemingly no limit to the space around you as you listen, sounds emanate from every corner of your periphery, and the level of detail and clarity is rather ming-boggling. All the small clicks and pops, minuscule water droplets and soundscapes that accompany the music you’re used to hearing are now clearly audible as they swirl around you in vivid detail. Transients are fast and clear but not sharp. There is a slight rise in the upper mids, around 8-9khz which gives the sound a slight sheen of extra detail without sounding harsh or tinny. This is fast and articulate, nuts levels of details, but I never felt out of my music like some ultra technical sets do. It was actually the opposite. I was always listening while writing this review, and more than once I completely nodded out, forgetting to write anything, as my eyes closed and I was whisked away into a space of sonic bliss. The mids are actually placed quite closely, so vocals sit right above your head, almost to the point of intimate, but the space around you opens up in every direction and you realize you’ve got the only seat to a private concert, and the vocalist in sitting in your lap and whispering in your ear. You can even feel the tickle and soft air on your ears. Vocals and space are where this set excels for sure, the detail and stage size is just intoxicating and when you find the right material, ideally well mastered spacious music, get ready to have your mind melted. Sound comes from everywhere, a huge wall of sound that simply melts the world around you, it’s all encompassing. Listen to something like Yosi Horikawa’s “Bubbles”, Kryptic Mind’s “Brief Passing”, or any test track that is recorded super well and you’ll never be the same again. I kid you not, it’s like listening to a very, very expensive 2 channel setup in a well treated room. Life changing. Beyond epic.

While EDM doesn’t quite have enough bass rumble for me, the space, detail and speed of this IEM begs you to listen to it anyway. Something like Om Unit or Clozee gives me goosebumps. For vocals put on Allison Kraus’ “New Favorite”, Kandace Springs’ “Don’t Need The Real Thing, or anything Gregory Porter and be prepared for the most Hi-Fi and crystal clear vocal presentation you’ll ever hear in an IEM setup. Modern jazz like Metheney, Avishai Cohen or Brian Blade Fellowship is effortless and enormous. I’m serious, this is next level stuff.

The flip side to this is, when you listen to certain kinds of music, including poorly recorded stuff, the magic disappears and you have more of a “regular IEM” kind of sound. They don’t sound harsh with poorly recorded music, it’s just they sound totally normal, and the lack of bass weight and presence makes them sound a tad thin and perhaps even bright to some. Also, without that magic, the upper mids shine can be a tad fatiguing. I don’t mean they sound bad, again, you can listen to any kind of music with these and they sound good. But that amazing shockwave is far more present listening to well mastered and spacious music. Metal and rock to me sounded too thin and lacked the boom and grind I was hoping for. The grit and crunch is there, but the weight and power is less so. Now, if you like your metal fast and articulate and can sacrifice some low mid oomph in exchange for speed and laser focus then you’ll be very happy. Instruments sound great, but I would say guitars, violins, and synths tend to lean a bit more ethereal over “truthful” which again comes down to the listener’s preferences. For me, these are the most resolving and spacious mids I have ever heard, nothing comes close. They make everything else sound almost veiled by comparison. They stay musical and never bright, thought perhaps a bit thin in certain situations. Again, it all comes down to preferences. What I think will make this set divisive is the “lack of weight”. On one hand these have the most weightless, effortless and detailed mids, the trade-off is that for some people, with certain kinds of music, these will simply be too thin and spritely. I would never call them bright, but fresh and spritely come to mind over and over when I listen to them. And yes, after longer listening sessions one could say they aren’t necessarily tiring, but the sheer amount of information presented to you, and the freshness and clarity in which it is brought, is enough to overwhelm anyone’s mind.

Just like I said in the intro, this set requires an aside or caveat for all the hyperbole and excessive positivity. This set, and especially the mids, give you something that no other set can give you, I stand by that statement. But, it requires a certain genre, or genres to shine, as well as a certain quality and resolution in the mix to do so. To some that might not matter, or perhaps you only listen to vocals and acoustic music, then this is the end game for you. Just buy it, get one. If you listen to other styles of music, this may very well not be the set for you. Or at the very least, it won’t be your ONLY set. I can’t stress this enough, preferences and genre play an enormous role in whether this set will blow your mind, or leave you wanting. It’s at the very least a solid fact to say these are some of the best mids I have ever heard.







MIDS COMPARISONS

Comparing the V3 to others is difficult, simply because it’s so unique. The resolution and detail is simply unmatched among other Summit IEMs, and I know that’s quite a statement. But, that doesn’t mean that I prefer the V3, or the V3 is “better” than others. V3 wins hands down for space, detail, clarity, crispness and stage size in the mids. But if I had to choose my favorite that would probably go to the Creator, simply because I love DD mids and these are to die for. They are more weighted, textured and analog, and while they are still detailed they err on the side of powerful/musical over airy/spacious. Following just behind would be the AP and Traillii, each offering a different take on perfect mids. AP has that UM sound, and if you like their mids then game over. AP has luscious and weighted mids as well, though they are more BA sounding compared to the DD Creator’s analog heaven. Traillii has the space and effortlessness, slightly more relaxed mids that are more around you instead of in front, but very detailed in their own way. I love them both, hard to pick a winner here. AP and Traillii both are more weighted, emotional and relaxed compared to the V3’s lighting speed and clarity, though the V3 is quite emotional as well, just in a different and unique way. Jewel mids are somewhere in the middle as well, closer to a reference type of sound, just not as wide and spacious as the others. For an all rounder the V3 sits dead last for the “average” user, this is for the “advanced” user if you’ll permit me to use the word, deeming anyone under a certain line unworthy. The V3 demands your attention, and for only certain kinds of music. The rest of these IEMs also give absolute top tier performance that covers a far wider fan base, and sounds great with anything. As has been the theme for this entire review, Sammy’s tuning choices are really the separation between these IEMs, you’ll fall in love or just prefer a different one. But none can compete head to head in terms of the V3’s separation, space, micro detail and holography.


DETAILED > SV3 - Traillii/AP/Jewel/Creator
WEIGHTED > AP/Creator - Jewel/Traillii - SV3
TEXTURED > SV3/Creator - AP/Traillii/Jewel
ACCURATE > Jewel - Creator - Traillii/AP - SV3
SPACIOUS > SV3 - Traillii/Creator - AP - Jewel
ENERGETIC > SV3 - AP - Jewel - Creator/Traillii






TREBLE

Before I borrowed the V3 I did some research and one reviewer called it bright. I was worried about this more than anything, because for me harsh treble is a simple game over, it ruins the rest of the experience. But after I received them, plugged them and put them in my ears, I could tell absolutely that they’re not bright at all! In fact what makes the V3 so interesting is its natural, extended, lovely non fatiguing treble, despite the ultra resolving mids. One would imagine such a thing would be piercing up top, but I don’t hear any peaks, shrieks or sibilance present at all. It’s not rolled off like the Jewel, or super relaxed like the Traillii, but neither is it overtly intense or overly accentuated. I found it super extended, very resolving, and in keeping with the rest of the tuning simply fresh, crisp and extremely articulate. There is a nice amount of sparkle, but I wouldn’t say that makes it bright. The massive amount of detail, stage size and micro-sensations are present here as well, coming up nicely from the mids. The stage here is massive, as in the mids, it just seems to be endless, expanding out into space. It really is hard to explain this feeling, as if sound isn’t emanating from a specific point at all, and it wafts around you like a gorgeous mist of sonic bliss.

I won’t say that the treble is less resolving than the mids, but it terms of how the IEM presents as a whole, one could say the midrange is the feature here, and the treble plays a perfectly matched supporting role. Treble heads will really enjoy it, the quality is absolutely fantastic, but it’s not like the Anti which features the treble front and center. There is plenty or sparkle but it is well controlled, and not overly present or bright and splashy. It’s energetic, but just the right amount to match the mids. I for one really appreciate this, and it makes the V3 a joy to listen to for longer periods without fatigue. (Remembering of course that the sheer amount of information coming from the mids can induce some overwhelming feelings) This is beautiful treble, and I think the tuning here is very balanced. If the lower mids and bass had some more meat and weight to them I think the tuning could work for more genres and decidedly attract more kinds of listeners.


TREBLE COMPARISIONS

While the V3 has been in a category of its own thus far from a tuning perspective, its treble is more or less in line with the rest of the IEMs being compared here. I don’t hear them being so different, and thusly the V3’s extremely technical abilities do shine here without the need for a caveat as before. All of these IEMs have great treble, it really just comes down to how you like your presentation, and what brand does it for you. Oriolus, UM, FitEar, Aroma and Rhapsodio, very hard to choose! In this company one could say that the V3 is the most fresh and crisp, while not being overly sparkly or sibilant. Extension is top notch. AP would be more relaxed, even so over it’s brother the Multiverse Mentor. AP treble is smoother and less crisp, but also very enjoyable to listen to for as long anyone could ever stand without a break. Traillii treble is wondrous, as it somehow continues to win favorite after favorite award, even after years and dozens of new FOTM IEMs have come and gone. One can see why. The upper are a bit recessed, keeping things smooth and more easy on the ears, and then there’s a peak for sparkle and energy, and then another dip higher up to continue the smooth and relaxed vibe. It’s a very unique treble, coveted and often imitated even. It’s hard to find a fault unless you prefer a bit more energy. I’ve always loved the way the EST are implemented on the Traillii, and it is a bar I compare all others too. They are simply weightless. The Creator uses a single EST and while it is very spacious and extended, there is a bit more weight and thickness to the treble that I really enjoyed as well. You could even say that it’s just a tad dark up top, but with cable choices I was able to get a very fine sparkle that was completely natural and just up my alley. Jewel is the most relaxed by far, even going so far to be rolled off and overly smooth for some. It’s very airy, using 6 EST to achieve this, but sparkle city it is not.

Simply put, if you like an energetic top end that isn’t bright or harsh the V3 is hard to beat. If you like a nicely relaxed top end then either the AP or Creator would do you just fine. For a smooth treble with a bit more air and sparkle then Traillii straddles that line perfectly. And if you like a very relaxed and slightly rolled off top end, the Jewel is the king. You can’t go wrong with any of these.


QUANTITY > SV3/Traillii - AP/Creator - Jewel
QUALITY > Traillii/AP/SV3 - Creator - Jewel
EXTENSION > SV3 - Traillii - AP/Creator - Jewel
WEIGHT > Creator - AP - Traillii/Jewel - V3
DETAILS > SV3 - Traillii/AP - Creator/Jewel
REALISTIC > Traillii/AP/Creator - SV3/Jewel







STAGE

This section is copy pasted from my past reviews, I think it sums it all up quite perfectly for my personal feelings:

As always, stage size is hard to quantify and explain. Let’s look at the root of the term “soundstage” for a moment. To me we’re talking about the space around you- in front of you, above and behind you, to the sides- where music is emanating from one central area and the surrounding environment is portraying, affecting, or mirroring this sound into a 3D environmental experience for your ears. There is clearly a stage, with performers, and you the listener are positioned somewhere in the space. You may be in front row center, or “rows” back, like a concert or 2 Channel speakers at home. You could be placed inside the band, like they’re sitting next to you, or even all around you. I have been privy to hear some drool-worthy, insanely expensive 2 channel systems, and let me tell you, they all sound like you’re INSIDE the studio with the band. I’ve also clocked more than my fair share of live concerts, and in that live scenario the band is clearly in front of you, and the music comes from one huge source in that direction. Some may prefer sitting in the middle of a crowd at a festival, moshing or swaying back and forth to the beat, subs shaking your chest with giant vocals floating above your head and a light show emblazoning the sky. Or you’re in a smaller club, smaller system, but the band feels like you can reach out and touch them, emotions flying to your sheer proximity as you can brave their cigarette smoke. Or, like a Snarky Puppy live album, the crowd is literally inside the space, fist bumping along to the crazy inspired jams as one tries desperately not to touch all their amazing gear. So which is bigger? Which is better? Thankfully we don’t have to choose, everyone can enjoy whichever makes them happy, hooray for choices!

The stage on the V3 warrants some extra time to explain and praise. While the tuning of the V3 could be divisive for some, something everyone will love, and be totally blown away by, is the V3’s immense almost uncanny stage. From the moment you first sit down and listen, you’re greeted to this sensation of sitting INSIDE the music. Sound emanates from all around you, and while I have said that quite a few times in other reviews, nothing compares to the V3 stage experience. It is stupefying. Vocals are somewhat close, but the rest of the music takes place at seemingly impossible distances to you. From above, below, in from and behind, it’s simply astounding. A wall of sound, in the literal sense. The depth is incredible, as though things can be meters away from you, out of reach. I’ve never heard bass and kick drum decay like this. You can hear it in front of you as the hit decays away, into reverb, into nothingness, fading away from you inch by inch, foot by foot. I can hear the space BETWEEN myself, the bass kick, and the synth track, spread out in front of me like a tapestry of space. Positioning and spacial cues are wild. This is a studio monitor sound, an open back headphone sound, all coming from these little golden brass gems in your ears. I know this sounds like a lot of superfluous nonsense, but I kid you not, this is the most impressive stage I have ever heard by FAR.

Now, it would seem likely that the lack of note weight and thinner tuning would have something to do with the V3’s ability to bend the law of physics, and to that end it would have seemingly been a choice made by Sammy. It could also be called a trade-off under that pretense, which brings the question of what is most important to you. If you like a bit more weight, you simply might not be able to get a stage that massive and spacious. I don’t know, I really don’t. It seems to me either Sammy went for the most extreme level of stage, detail and space possible, resulting in the tuning we have before us. Or more realistically, the V3 was simply tuned thinner and more for Asian style music, resulting in the ability to gift its listeners with this unreal staging. Stage is more of a feeling than a measurable condition, so as always YMMV.

To compare, using the title holder Traillii, the Bird stretches out perhaps a bit wider but I hear the origin of the sound from two ear pieces, instead of space all around me. I can tell I’m wearing an IEM, and thusly it’s out of head but nevertheless an IEM sound. The V3 has similar width, but it goes out equally on ALL AXIS, creating an enormous stage with seemingly no point of origin. The Bird stage is very impressive, this is just a different experience. The biggest difference is the Traillii sounds amazing with any music, and basically any source, where the V3 needs proper amplification and fantastic source music to shine fully.

If I had to try and describe the stages in terms of physical dimensions I would say this:

SV3 - An enormous holographic stage, with more depth than any other IEM I have heard. Truly all around you. Unmatched.
AP - A big 3D oval, with sounds emanating from all around you, especially vertically.
Creator - A very vast stage in front of you, like listening to very large studio monitors.
Traillii - An oval, hugely circular, with the midrange stretching out at the widest edges as far as one can see. Great treble extension.
Jewel - a lovely circular stage in all directions, with less height. Quite holographic but not as big as others.


SIZE > SV3 - Traillii - AP/Creator - Jewel
WIDTH> SV3/Traillii - AP/Creator - Jewel
HEIGHT > SV3/Traillii - AP/Creator - Jewel
DEPTH > SV3 - Traillii/AP - Creator/Jewel
HOLOGRAPHY > SV3 - Traillii - AP/Jewel/Creator
REALISTIC > AP/Creator - Traillii - Jewel - SV3








PAIRINGS/CABLES

As mentioned in the opening paragraphs, the V3 comes with a good/decent stock cable, but I did most of my testing with the RSD Copper Fantasies. The stock cable is not really comparable to the RSD top end available, but that seems to be the norm for Summit-Fi IEMs. Seemingly these brands expect the buyers of such gear to have their own cables, or test and decide on an upgrade cable after buying. Spending a fortune in the process. The CF will be featured in an upcoming review, so I will leave the in-depth analysis for later, but suffice to say, like the V3, the CF is the most detail oriented copper cable I’ve ever tried. It is tight and punchy, with a small graceful rise in the upper mids, mirroring the V3’s own. It was designed to go with the V3, and this synergy is undeniable. I also spent a good amount of time with my Orpheus on there, and frankly it brings the V3 more into the spectrum of all rounder with its increase in note weight and bass impact. It also stretched the mids out a lot, making the V3 even more studio monitor sounding. I really liked it a lot, though the most “V3 Magic” comes from the pairing of Purple and Gold.


RSD CF - A perfectly balanced pairing. Incredible resolution, very energetic and crisp. Punchy bass, sweet yet resolving mids with slight rise in upper mids for enhanced attack and clarity. Extended treble, spacious 3D stage with extreme depth.

PW Orpheus - Very balanced but with more bass and impact, thicker notes and slightly more relaxed treble. Stage is huge, more width than with CF, though not as deep/tall. Orphy also has a gentle rise in the upper mids, but it’s situated lower on the spectrum, so it’s less energetic and crisp while still giving things like distorted guitars and vocals an extra sense of presence and cut.

Brise Shirogane - This was an interesting pairing, the Brise has fantastic resolution and space but its mids are slightly too smooth compared to the rest of the spectrum. I mentioned this in my review, and while it was noticeable with other IEMs it rarely bothered me. But since the V3’s mids are so crisp and clean it sort of brought the balance and tuning slightly out of wack. That could be something someone would want, to tone down the extreme clarity, though for me if you’re getting the V3 you intend to squeeze every last bit of detail. The Shiro brought more sub-bass and extremely extended top end were great advantages, as well as the stage size being huge and very holographic. Somehow the Shiro has just wasn’t the right fit for me, and I preffered either the CF or Orphy.

DAPS - As mentioned the V3 needs good power to shine, the more the better. I really liked it out of the Sony WM1ZM2, though I did end up having the volume up around 90-100 for enhanced listening. It would benefit greatly from an amp like the Tsuranagi or 475. With an amp you get a bigger stage, deeper and more controlled bass as well as more sparkle and air up top. With the LP6 Ti AE I can feel the extra power under the hood, more control and a bigger more epic sound. The Sony features a bit more micro details and highlights the crispness more, while the AE gives it a bit more of an analog sound. I found with the Sony I preferred the RSD CF cable, this was the closest to what I would imagine Sammy was hearing when he tuned it. With the AE I enjoyed the Orphy more, bringing the V3 into more all rounder territory, with a smoother more organic top. It also had a bigger more holographic stage and fatter bass. I don’t currently have a more reference DAP, but I could imagine that with the N30LE it could be quite transcendent. With a brighter choice like 320MAX it could potentially venture into bright territory.






CONCLUSION

And so here we are, at the end of another exhausting review. I always set out to make them shorter, but find it extremely difficult to do so. These Summit-Fi gears have so much going on, and especially the V3, whose uniqueness could be divisive amongst potential buyers. It’s impossible to name it best, without having some strong experience and detail to support that statement. But I can’t also just say it only works for Asian music and call it a day. That would be unfair both to Rhapsodio, as well as the audio world as whole. I can say this: on a technical basis the V3 is simply the most impressive IEM I have ever heard. But it’s so much more than that, the way it presets music is just on another level. The stage sets a dangerous precedent for all others, and I can tell you after listening to the V3 for a few hours everything else seems small and quaint by comparison. That being said, every IEM I heard immediately afterwards satisfied my bass and weight needs more, and made the V3 seem kind of thin in comparison. They say you can’t have your cake and eat it too, and this would seem appropriate for the V3’s unique tuning and presentation. It all comes down to this, I believe the V3 was tuned for “Asian” style music, and simply doesn’t work as well with more heavy and/or western styles of music. That means well mastered pop, acoustic and vocal music, or even electronic spacey music, the V3 is unbeatable. Nothing comes close really. But for everything else, other IEMs might work better. Or at the very least I could say fairly that the V3 doesn’t excel as an all rounder, (for westerners or thicker more compact music) as it’s simply just “good” for those styles. If I was to pick the best all rounder I couldn’t include the V3, it’s just too specialized. The AP, Creator or Traillii will be a better fit for most people. They are easier to power, don’t need such high-end gear to shine, and their tuning is just more universal. But, if you like something unique, something special, something that brings music to your ears in a way you didn’t know was possible from an IEM, look no further than the Rhapsodio Supreme V3. It will knock your socks off, literally. It provides something no other IEM can, and that’s really saying something. If you have one or two IEMs already, and you’re looking for something different, (and you can afford it) this is it. If you listen to Asian/Vocal/acoustic music, and/or really like a leaner, clean, crisp and incredibly detailed sound, this is it. Full stop. Don’t bother with anything else, you’ll just be dissapointed afterwards. I know those are strong words, but I truly believe what Sammy has made here deserves such praise. It’s unlike anything else. My only wish is that it was thicker sounding, and with more bass. Fill out those low mids and bass, give it a little more sub bass and thump, that would bring it closer to all rounder for a lot of people, myself included. But who knows, doing so just might remove the magic that makes the V3 what it is. Maybe we’ll see something like that in the presumable V4 maybe coming at some point in the future. Either way, huge kudos to Sammy and the Rhapsodio team, this is a stunner. Full stop.



Thanks for reading! If you’d like to get one for yourself please visit the Rhapsodio website here. Or find a dealer near you.

This one certainly garnered some serious attention and created a truckload of hype when it was announced. One reason was that it was only available paired with the Cayin N30LE DAP, a $13,000 combo. Yes, you read that right, 13k, ridiculous. But after CanJam SoCal 2023 everyone was talking about the same thing; the Amber Pearl (AP) IEM was best in show. “They” said it was the best UM has ever done, a knocked-it-out-of-the-park tuning, with an upgraded full spectrum BCD that was next level. I read it over and over. I started to froth at the mouth, and despite my cynical nature of disbelief, deep desire took over my soul. I want to hear it too! How is a guy -who happens to be from SoCal- but now lives in Europe, to hear this already fabled amber stripe-ed creature? I don’t want to buy an extra $5k DAP, I have the LP6 Ti AE and it’s the best in the world, at least for my analog-loving soul. Plus $13k is a rough one to swallow. But somehow I knew that I needed to get the AP, that much was for sure. The allure was powerful enough to occupy my dreams, soundscapes of tiger stripes and bone rattling drums hits were all I could think about. I have a problem, I know, not ready to talk about it.

As a self professed Mason FS lover I know what UM can do with mids. Their use of bone conduction drivers (BCD) bring realism and tactility to the music emanating from these tiny thingies in your ears, roaring it to life in a way that is simply not comparable with other configurations. I remember the first time I heard the Mason FS, after letting my brain burn-in for a bit, that BCD really does transform the experience. You just have to hear it for yourself to understand, it is in fact pretty subtle, but a transformation occurs nonetheless. Despite my love for the blue marble Mason, I did find the stage somewhat small and/or congested for complicated and busy music. It was better with acoustic instruments and voices over electronic stuff, and I longed for some extension in the sub-bass and more open spacious staging. I wanted a true all-rounder, I’ve always preferred having Ione great IEM over a collection. UM seemed to secretly know my (and I’m sure many more people’s) wishes, releasing the new Multiverse Mentor Mentor a few months later. Huge stage, bigger deep bass, more depth and open top end, all with those UM mids. Hooray? I did demo it once and fantasized about its stage and technical abilities, I could hear some brightness or shrillness in the sparkle, and the bass just didn’t quite sit right for me. I know everyone was praising it, but it didn’t quite sit with me as a end-gamer. My search continued on, fast-forward six moths or so, nothing interested me so much. I had the Traillii, and Jewel, but I still felt something was missing. As luck would have it, (but bad for my wallet) MusicTeck began to sell the AP IEM buy itself, sans the DAP, at a measly $8000 price tag. Yes, again you read that right (facepalm). What is happening to the world when companies release flagship IEMs slapped with the price tag of a nice used car? Some scoff, some are insulted for sure, but many addicts don’t even batt an eye and just bring out their wallet… We’re all doomed for sure. I guess I don’t have much to say, I bought it too, whoops! I just had to hear it for myself; a stepped up and refined Mentor, but this time featuring even more gorgeous mids borrowed from the Mason FS, smoother treble and even deeper bass, a new BCD, and a stage you could throw a submarine through. Drooooool…. I couldn’t help myself. It also looks really cool, those tiger stripes!






Does it live up to the hype, does it sound like I hoped and imagined? Yes indeed, it does, but there comes a small caveat. For what it does it well; gorgeous mids and an epic thick and juicy presentation centered around a thunderous low end, it very well may one of the best IEMs in the world. It is addictive like smack, ‘cause the BCD goes to 11 now. The entire frequency range has that titillating percussive quality that also hits harder and more powerfully. Does that mean it’s only good for epic bass central music? Absolutely not. But here the caveat shall be explained. This is an all-rounder-daily driver for sure, and epic music (think EDM, Metal, Prog, Rock, Hip-Hop, Funk) it is staggeringly good. Also, really some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard, it could very well be worth the ridiculous price tag for that alone. For everything else the AP handles great, from jazz to acoustic music, classical, pop and classic rock, et al, but I wouldn’t say it performs “2x better” than something in the price rage of half. What I mean is, for “normal flagship” money you can get similar performance for some genres and styles that don’t require or harmonize well with its thick and bassy kind of tuning, BCD aside. But for the things it excels at, or if you prefer more bass and a thicker sound, there is nothing else quite like it, and the price could be justified for those that have the means.

Please don’t go out and sell your kidney for this, it is sublime but no gear is worth that. Unless it’s the LP6 Ti AE, and then maybe.






Now that my lengthy intro is over, and before I get into the fever details let me quickly do my usual testing gear rundown and disclaimer in favor of transparency:

-I purchased the AP myself, though I did receive a discount from MusicTeck in exchange for a review. As always, there was no pressure or requirements of me to provide a positive review in any way, I was simply asked to share my views, experiences and thoughts with the community. I did perform around 75+ hours burn-in before doing any critical listening and note taking. After my initial critical A/B stage I listened to music as I normally would for several weeks, to get a feel for the AP alone. I then came back to AB’ing and cable rolling before sitting down to write this review. I was listening to it 99% of the tine while writing, which I find helps me to center my thoughts and solidify my impressions.

-To be clear, I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I don’t do this for work, I spend an enormous amount of time on these. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out enormous amount of cash, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews you will know that I usually choose very expensive gear. This here is a very expensive IEM, clocking in at the aforementioned $8000, which is simple insanity. The IEMs I will compare them to are stupid expensive too, and calling them “cheaper” is another kind of crazy. The pricing of gear is totally nuts and we’re headed for Armageddon if this continues (I think I’ve copy pasted this in a few reviews now). Please try to keep in mind that some people in this world have the money for these kinds of toys, I will try to focus my review on the sonic aspects so we can take a look at these here Summit-fi showstoppers without their cash melting contexts. If you are insulted or morally wronged by these price tags just stop reading and find something else to do, I don’t blame you at all. It costs a literal arm and leg, moving on.

-I used a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spent several weeks simply listening to whatever inspired me like I normally would. I love all kinds of music, and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion you absolutely should take how their musical tastes match or differ from your own. A few excepts from my latest listening roster:

Jazz: Snarky Puppy, GoGo Penguin, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Hunter, Avishai Cohen, Kandace Springs, Chris Potter, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Julian Lage, Funky Knuckles, Ghost Note, Aaron Parks.

Rock: Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Rage Against The Machine, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau, Them Crooked Vultures, Tom Petty, Jackson Brown, Jethro Tull.

Modern Music: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, Asgeir, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Glass Animals, Jacob Collier, Moonchild, Robert Glasper, Hiatus Coyote.

Electronic: Om Unit, Emancipator, Kryptic Minds, Bonobo, FKJ, Djrum, Synkro

Heavy Music: Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, Polyphia, TesseracT, Meshuggah, Hacktivist, Trivium, Sevendust, Periphery, Sepultura, Intervals, Plini, Polyphia.

As source I used my LP6 Ti AE and Sony WM1ZM2. For comparisons I did in-depth, intense AB comparisons with several IEMs I have at my disposal at this time. Some are mine and I know well, others are here for review/borrowed. They include: Oriolus Traillii, Aroma Jewel, Rhapsodio Supreme V3, and Mason FS.

Without further ado, let’s get into it!







IEM and FIT


As stated above, the AP is Unique Melody’s newest offering, a kilobuck flagship with everything and the kitchen sink thrown in. Their latest tech, an updated full range BCD that UM claims to enhance the entire spectrum of human hearing. I can attest that it is indeed their best BCD to date. UM has decided to give us a beast of an IEM with 30 combined drivers, 15 per side. 4x BA for bass, 2x BA for mids, 2x BA for upper mids, 4x BA for treble, while a pair of EST take care of the ultra highs and the BCD makes 15. For a neat diagram of the innards and some additional information you can check out the MusicTeck website since I cannot find any information at all on the UM website itself. I suppose it’s because the AP wasn’t originally planned to be sold alone, so I’ll skimp on most of the technical details and can read what’s available here.

The IEMs themselves are very pretty, with a warm orange glow accented with stripes of blonde wood grain in varying shapes and patterns, as each IEM is totally unique. If you look closely there are even some sparkles in there, accenting the bright orange sheen. UM uses stabilized Cholla wood, essentially a cactus wood mixed with resin to achieve some of them most beautiful shells on the market today. These are not understated, quiet or minimalistic looking, they are attention grabbing for sure. But I was pleasantly surprised they don’t look gaudy, or like cheap balls of orangey snot either. They’re rather beautiful, really.





To be clear right off, these are hefty IEMs. They are big and deep, though not super heavy since the shells are very light material. The body of the IEM is fairly large, the nozzle is shorter but very similar to any other UM IEMs I’ve tried. There is a replaceable filter at the end of the nozzle which is a great inclusion, with a notched lip so tips really stay on. They’re even hard to get off sometimes. Contrary to the Mason FS the faceplates are concave, I would imagine this is to fit in the bigger BDC (Le Jardin has the same). Comparing to Mason FS the depth of the shell is for sure bigger, and in ear they stick out more than any other UM IEMs I have tried. I have relatively small ears so that’s not saying so much, but just beware that they are pretty deep and relatively cumbersome for average ears. Not prohibitively so, but not tiny either. I tried out every tip I own, from Azla to Symbio, UM, Aroma, Acoustune, Spin Fit, foams, random otehrs, and in the end the best by far was the new Baroque tips made by Eletech. If you haven’t had a chance to check these out yet please do, they are nothing short of a revelation! With size S I was able to get the AP deeper into my ear than with other tips, and thus had a better BCD experience as well as the IEM not sitting outside of my ears as much. I also really enjoyed the stock UM silicone tips, there great, for those I used size M. As a happy surprise the 2 pin sockets are super snug which is a great upgrade from the usual UM loosey-goosey sockets I’m sure many of us are all too aware of. Only time will tell how well they hold up, but I am optimistic so far.

I think for most people these will fit just fine, just know that they do stick out of your ears a bit with average ears. Remember that the BCD requires actual contact to work, so the more of your ear is touching, the better the effect will be. At this time it is not clear if the AP will be available to the public in a CIEM form, I have inquired and am waiting for confirmation back. As normal with CIEM you would probably experience a slight bump in bass quantity, but also the BCD expressiveness and tactility would be further improved. Sounds good to me!

The AP requires more power than one would think, the EST top end and the BCD for sure are power hungry. I found that it sounded quite good from just about any source, but scales incredibly well. With a laptop and adapter/dongle I was easily able to get good volume and engagement, Sony M2 was fabulous, AE was another level of grand and epic. When I first got my Mason FS years ago I remember being told they only sounded their best from L&P R2R DAPs, and then I would have agreed. Now I think they have a very special sound with L&P, one that I personally love, but they sound amazing with DS DAPs as well. Perhaps its something in the impedance or tuning that UM has changed, but I find them far more universal to drive now, which is good news for everyone.









UNBOXING


For anyone familiar with my reviews I am usually very uninterested in the unboxing experience. I do care about what comes in the box, but no so much the box itself. My reviews of cables are a bit different, as no-one I know uses the box their cable came in for storage, unless it’s a nice puck case or similar, and thusly I largely ignore the boxes and superfluous chotchkies that come inside. The same thing wouldn’t be said for IEMs, the case that comes with Summit IEM’s is usually quite nice and serves the divine purpose of storing the IEMs -with cable attached- for all the time that they are not in your ears and performing their sonic duties. If, for your hard earned $8k you’re expecting fanciness and gold plated trinkets inside you’re in for a harsh reality check. In keeping with UM’s usual basic setup, the AP comes in the typical branded blue box which flips open to show the stitched leather case holding the good stuff inside. There is also a slide drawer that houses all the accessories like tips, cable strap, clip, etc. You get two types of tips, one being the stock UM tips with the blue stem, as well as some Azlas. Open the leather case up top and out comes the APs, each nestled in a blue mesh bag for safety. The leather case is pretty basic, unpadded, blue stitched with gold zipper, with partitions that hold the goods in place well enough and can be used for daily storage if needed. Honestly, I don’t care much, but for this kind of money the packaging, and case, is rather disappointing, or lackluster. Even with its infamous cardboard box, the Traillii came with a very nice VanNuys leather case that hold my Bird to this day. I would have expected more, even if I personally wouldn’t have used it.

The included stock cable is a nice 4 wire PW cable in deep blue cloth sleeving, with the traditional UM branded connectors in teal. I wish they would just use black hardware, can’t UM just add their logo without changing the color? That’s wishful thinking I guess, I just personally prefer black. For those familiar, the AP cable looks a lot like First Times or Mason’s Deep of Universe and is aptly named Amber Pearl, since Peter Wong couldn’t come up with another bizarrely named, grammatically incorrect moniker. (I LOVE PW cables, but the names are always so funny). I can’t seem to find much information about the AP cable online, other than it is “newly designed” by PW Audio and features their high quality 6N OCC copper. It’s called a shielded cable, but this isn’t the traditional thick and heavy shielded cables like Orpheus, FTS, or Meet Agains. It’s very flexible and light, and like all PW Cables sounds great. For those who know, Orpheus, FTS and MAS all feature a higher level of copper, and the added shielding does affect the sound in many positive ways. You can check any of my reviews for more information. I’ll dive deeper into it later on in the review, but it’s a shame UM didn’t include a more expensive cable for this insane asking price. That being said, the stock cable really does fit the tuning of the AP well, and while you can certainly cable roll with upgrades, the stock cable is perfectly suited. I’ll get more into comparisons later, but rest assured you’re getting a good cable with AP, if not their TOTL Shielding versions.








SOUND

So how does the AP sound? They are amazing. Fantastic. Unexpected too. When I first got them in my ears I was a little bit surprised because they were super thick and powerful sounding. I had expected a full sound sure, but one more mid focused since having owned the Mason FS I had believed that was the UM house sound. Now not to say that the AP doesn’t have great mids, it most certainly does, but there is a feature on the lower mids and bass that totally blew my mind. They are so HUGE and powerful sounding! Drums and bass, kicks and thumps, waves of synth pads rumble my guts and swirl around my head like some sort of frequency storm. I was simply not ready for the turbo onslaught I was greeted with upon first listen. The Thunder tiger. The velvet hammer; a slightly warm but undeniably resolving lush tonality with a bottom end to match, I was pretty knocked over. The AP is a natural and fairly balanced tuning, with the extra low kick pushing it perhaps more towards a L leaning W, or a shallow V with the right cable and tips. This is no bass canon, but it’s not shy in the least either.

The mids are positioned forward enough not to feel distant, and quantity wise it’s more like a W than V. Please do keep in mind that my DAPs are both heavily mid forward, especially the LP6 AE, so that is certainly affecting the balance of how I am hearing it. Based on how the AP graphs your experience may be more a V than mine.

The bass might be featured, but it is also of great quality and power. It reaches deep, hits hard and has a nice extra heft in the upper bass to give things a serious boost of energy and drive. Add that to my AE’s powerful midbass kick and you have an addictive presentation for rock, electronic, prog or anything that has a big low end and emphasized lower mids. Ballsy and grunt worthy for sure. Now, you might ask why I’m speaking at length about the bass when this is clearly a balanced Unique Melody ultra flagship set. Does this mean the mids aren’t the centerpiece? Not at all, the bass is just what I heard first and these early surprises are entirely based on my expectations and nothing more. The mids are fabulous, emotional and wonderfully velvet to the touch. Very detailed, perhaps one could even say exquisitely detailed, while never once going into the territory of harsh, crisp, or analytical at all. Vocals are sublime, top 3 of all time for me. There is a sweetness that’s hard to describe, especially when mated to the solid prominent low end. Mids and vocals are most certainly important, featured even. Just built on a very hefty and solid lower end that can sometimes overwhelm their presence for me, track and cable dependent. This is a balanced set, bass featured, with great mids and treble, that’s how I would describe it. The BCD adds a great sense of realism and physical qualities, adding in a extra dose of note weight and attack while not being hot or flashy. Same goes for the treble. It’s very nicely extended, detailed and full from the BCD’s active presence here as well. It’s almost weird to hear treble notes with so much body on them. Even the tiniest details way up top, over your head and floating in space, they have this physical attitude and percussive quality that is rather mind-blowing. You can feel them. Even the tiny EST producing flakes of gold and light you can feel like they reach out and caress your face. I know I keep saying percussive, but from a musician’s (guitarist+studio engineer) background such as the one I have, this is the only way I can describe it. Notes that you feel, and hear. Notes that create a sense that you’re in the room. You can feel the air from the horn, the waves from the snare hit as it physically affects the space around you. This is fit dependent of course, the better the fit the more the sense of BCD’s impact, but it’s certainly there for the taking. Updated from the Mason FS is the inclusion that the BCD is now full range, meaning you hear it in the sub bass too. It’s actually quite wild, the bass is a totally different animal with a full range BCD. Thump and pump, rumble and shake. Pretty cool.

The stage is large, expansive and spherical. It’s not the largest stage I have ever heard, something like the Traillii is indeed wider and taller. But the AP’s stage fits to the style of the tuning, and feels gigantic with the way that it presents drums, guitars, reverb and space. There is a lot of space up top, no doubt aided by the AP’s inclusion of ESTs for the upper treble frequencies. It seems this is the way of the future, all that air and space seems hard to create in such and natural and effortless way without their use. The main takeaway here is that the AP is a wild animal, with a sensitive side. AP does soft and gentle, with that low-end presence adding a blanket under your music for smooth rolling rumbles. When the track calls for it then it will be bombastic, physical and demanding of your attention. A BCD isn’t like you feel smacked in the face, its a very subtle and gentle addition to the sonic spectrum that adds realism, authenticity and percussive qualities to your music resulting in a very 3D experience unlike anything else. Another thing to mention, is positioning or placement. This means the listener’s ability to pinpoint where in the stage a certain sound, instrument or aspect is emanating from. Like being able to see in the sonic stage and map out where everything is. AP has the best positioning of any IEM I have heard, hands down. This is largely based on the new full spectrum BCD, so every tiny bit of information can be seen, heard and given a precise location in your head. All this contributes to the sense of reality, realism, and just bad-ass-ery that is the AP.








BASS

AP does bass like it should be. This is GREAT bass. It is in fact about as good a BA bass set as you will ever hear. The only other I have heard that is same/better was the Storm, based on memory. AP is punchy, full of texture and nice guttural rumbles. Going very deep into sub-bass territory, rumbling your brain like crazy, but the feature for me here is the midbass. It has a lot of slam and punch. It’s tight, clear and powerful. It’s bombastic without bleeding into the other frequencies. In the mid-bass area it sounds about as good as a real DD, the sense of texture and grip is really thrilling. In the sub bass regions I do notice the lack of a DD somewhat, there’s not faking that sense of air a real D-driver gives off, that’s just physics. There is a bit of that plasticky sound down low in the lowest regions. (There one exception, I find the sub bass of Traillii to be very DD like, and I feel like I do feel “air” being pushed when the bass hits really low. Traillii Midbass is not as guttural, and lacks the bump and pump of the AP) That being said, this is a set with truly fantastic bass. I would say it’s more like a vintage tube amp bass vs an ultra modern and Hi-Fi bass. There is a sense of real grit and grease when called for, and I mean this in a good way. It’s got spank, and that’s not something you can EQ in. Add in the BCD and it’s an experience you won’t soon forget, or get anywhere else. The way the bass kicks you, pun intended, is very surprising and amazingly engaging. You feel the bass in your chest and guts simultaneously. Damn addictive!

If I have one critique of the AP’s tuning is that the bass shelf - TO ME - seems a little too much, and takes away from what would otherwise be a perfectly balanced set. I know I’m in the minority here, some friends have told me they EQ the bass up on their APs (wowzers), but for me as more of a reference listener these were super fun, but ultimately the bass did overshadow the greatness of the near perfect tuning on ocassions. This is also affected by my DAPs of choice, both featuring a slight midbass bump themselves, but I found myself EQing 125hz down about 1.5db, and then it was nicely balanced for some less bass heavy styles of music. When I first got the AP it was REALLY bassy, but after about 80+hrs to has fallen more into line, and feels less bloomy. I imagine that after another 100hrs this will be even more improved, though I don’t imagine the signature to vary much more, that extra bass is there to stay, just improved.

It’s not that it was ever bloated, bass is very tight and punchy, but I found that the lower mids and upper bass just overtook my attention when the music didn’t call for that kind of thing. For EDM, Prog and heavy rock I left the EQ alone and just let the AP blow my mind. I mention all this not because heavy bass is evil, I love a good slam, but I think that UM might have reeled this back a bit. It would be perfectly balanced with just a tiny bit less. As a canon set it’s pretty neutral, but for a W all rounder it’s a tad too lifted if such a thing can be said. This is ONLY my opinion, and I know I’m in the minority. Bring out your pitchforks folks, this guy is saying too much bass. I will go on record here, I prefer a linear tuning, great badass bass, but it can’t lean on other frequencies - if the music doesn’t call for it.


BASS COMPARISONS

I have heard a lot of IEM’s with great bass, but, I am not a major bass head as you’ve just read. Contrasting to many here I found the Jewel’s quantity of bass to be just right for me, at least in CIEM form. Xe6 was a no go, arguably amazing, but not ultimately enjoyable for me. Too warm and way too much midbass (in my limited time with it.) Traillii has a nice amount of bass, as does Mason FS, or Elysian X. I enjoyed Fir’s offerings, but even with the red module I was overblown. Now you know where I am coming from, so you can adjust your feelings about my bass feelings in order to have a clear idea of AP’s bass feelings. Remember, this is about buying an IEM, committing to it, not how much I enjoyed it for 15 minutes on my buddy’s couch.

- Traillii - Deeper reaching sub-bass with the less midbass. More pushed air down under, but far less grunt, punch and texture in the upper bass. The Bird slams well but its more relaxed, AP is tighter, flashier, and calls far more attention to itself. AP has about 2-3db more quantity at least. Bird wins for DD style sub-bass, AP for punch, texture and speed.

- Jewel - Real DD sound, very nicely textured and tight. Fast for a DD. AP is bigger, bolder, punchier and with noticeably more presence and weight. Reaches deeper with a more noticeable sub bass rumble. Jewel wins for the DD texture and sub-bass air, AP wins for everything else.

- Mason FS - Fast midbass featured BA set. Much less sub bass, less overall quantity. AP takes everything about FS and just improves it in every direction. The only thing I prefer from FS - on occasion - is the quantity, which is nicely balanced over the AP’s slight overabundance.

- Supreme V3 - For a single MST DD driver the amount of dynamics and detail is quite staggering. The bass is very clear, supremely detailed and well extended. Best texture of all of them, really great quality. But, the quantity will not be enough for most people, myself included. It will leave most wanting for more, wishing for more. It has an equal presentation of sub and mid bass which does in fact match the V3s extremely airy and spacious sound.

DEEPEST > Trailli - AP/SV3 - Jewel - FS
TEXTURED > SV3 - Jewel/AP - Traillii - FS
PUNCHIEST > AP - FS - Jewel/Traillii - SV3
NEUTRAL > FS/Jewel - Traillii - AP - SV3
QUANTITY > AP - Traillii - FS - Jewel - SV3







MIDS
As I have mentioned on any of a million occasions, I am a big fan of mids. They are the cat’s meow, or their pajamas, I can’t remember the phrase right now. The show stops with the mids for me, and they need to be accurate, detailed, and natural sounding without too much “stuff” going on to alter their correctness. That doesn’t mean they need to be boring or dry, they can be lush and wondrous, velvety and smooth or crazy detailed and more energetic, I can get down with all of that. Don’t hate on the reference guy! AP has some of the best mids I have ever heard, really. They are fabulous. Move you to tears vocals. Move your soul, really. These are UM tuned mids for sure, and I am hearing a great deal of Mason FS’s influences here. These are weighty and powerful mids, continuing up from the bass’s impact and heft. They are more velvet than edgy, more romantic than crisp. They are really fantastic, with just a little bit of extra bite around 8k to give some clarity without being sibilant in any way shape or form. Guitars crunch, guitars pluck and pump. Synths are especially satisfying, they grind in a way that I have never heard in another set. The lower mids are very thick, they thin out a bit going up but not much. This is a weighty mid section placed forward which makes them more vivid, while also upping the engagement factor quite a bit. There is lots of space between the layers, transients are clean but more on the relaxed side vs technically or analytically. That’s part of what makes AP so special, it’s musical, fun, exciting and energetic while never leaving you wanting on the details and technicals. This is a great balance, and I think many other companies could learn this for their flagships. UM has nailed this one out of the park for the mids - the perfect balance of engaging, fun and technical powers I have ever heard in an IEM. Very very detailed, but I don’t hear anything out of place, nothing accentuated overly to give a sense of extra bite, space, or resolution. They are just, for lack of a better word- perfect. Bravo!

The BCD adds the most sense of realism in the mids, while the bass is kicking and jumping, the mids is where the most “real” percussive instruments live. Bass kicks are great, but what about hearing the click of the pad beater on the actual drumhead clear as day. Then what about feeling it too? Guitars where you can feel the strings being plucked, strummed, or even hammered on. Drums are dope…. So physical and guttural. Thwacks and clicks, the lip smacking of your favorite vocalist, all presented in a way that I have personally never heard before. I think words struggle to pass on enough information when it comes to the BCD, it just adds a sense of realism that I just can’t describe. Suffice to say, if you don’t know what I am talking about, try out the AP, and then try anything else immediately afterwards. You’ll hear what’s missing.


MIDS COMPARISONS

Not a surprise to anyone I have chosen sets here to compare that feature amazing mids. Mids all done in different ways, so in this section I must tread carefully here with words like better, more this or that, etc as those imply a sense of perfection that carries over style, tuning, and preferences. I’ll do my best.

- Traillii - Arguably some of the best mids ever. Emotive, spacious, effortless and micro-detailed. Mids are placed further back and away from you giving some of the best stage space of any IEM ever made. The technicals are top notch without ever getting into analytical territory. AP is more thick and forward, Traillii is lighter and thinner, and spaced further away. Traillii has a small dip in the 4-6 kHz region, AP has a slight glimmer in the 6-8Khz region, but both sound very natural and more relaxed than anything. Trailli spread the mids waaaaay out to the side and above creating space but losing intimacy or engagement sometimes. AP mids are closer and more engaging, but they do miss out on the space the Bird can give. Bird is a bit relaxed AP is a bit more energetic. Sometimes I preferred AP for some heavier music, Bird for a different track. Vocals are amazing on both. Hard to pick a winner, I went back and forth for hours/days and couldn’t decide.

- Jewel - Great technical mids, a bit thinner and cool/analytical but only when compared to Bird and AP. More mid forward, with a noticeable bump in the 4-5khz region that can make some female vocals a tad shouty, or some instruments having extra bite. Subtle, well done, but noticeable. AP and Traillii are sweeter, more velvet. Jewel is more accurate perhaps, less fun, or at the very least more “reference” which is why it stood with me as a daily driver for so long. Large spherical stage here, less wide than Bird, similar to AP, but AP goes wider and much taller. Here’s a spot where a company went for a little more detail and less emotion, though I personally find the Jewel’s mids fabulous for my vast array of musical tastes. Another great all rounder.

- Mason FS - Here is a really tough call, AP and FS mids share a lot of similar vibes. AP is thicker and juicier, FS is still thick but a bit more clean and less moist, which is a weird way to describe an IEM but I stagger trying to find another word to use. Vocals have this almost wet juicy feeling, while FS is a tad more flat. AP has a bit more resolution only because it’s newer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the mids are better. Only when comparing directly to each other are these subtleties clear, as compared to other IEMs these are at the very least extremely similar. AP takes the cake for emotive and fun, FS might be a tad more correct. AP stretches the mids out more, FS is a tad more intimate. They are both UM tuned, with the same sense of realism and love. There is something about UM mids that you either love desperately, or they’re just fine - if you’re the former than you’ll love either one of these. (FS mids are hard to beat for a used price tag around $2500 btw.)

- Supreme V3 - This is a totally different beast. The V3 has more details than any of these IEMs, and somehow still remains musical and fairly natural. The sense of space is also different, like a giant oval all around you, a bit like the Thummin, very unique. The level of microdetails are off the chain, the way little things pop in and out of your sonic spectrum, it’s wow. Vocals are very forward, sometimes almost feeling like the singer would actually touch my nose. Mids are thinner and less hefty than the others, especially the AP. Going back and forth between these two polar opposites was like a fancy quill pen made of sparkles and a sledgehammer! V3 has a noticeable bump in the 8-9Khz region that adds a great sense of bite and energy, but I found it somewhat tiring, and in the worst cases, slightly sibilant. If you listen to modern pop and vocals music, and you like bleeding edge details while remaining effortless the V3 is unchallenged. But I would say for “western” ears it could be a bit too intense, thin, or energetic for some music and tastes. Stage for mids is scary big, I almost lose where I am in the space it’s so spaced out. Not in a bad way at all, I’ve never quite heard a midrange like this.

DETAILED > SV3 - Traillii/AP/Jewel/FS
WEIGHTED > AP - FS - Jewel/Traillii - SV3
TEXTURED > SV3 - AP/Traillii/FS/Jewel
ACCURATE > FS/Jewel - Traillii/AP - SV3
SPACIOUS > SV3/Traillii - AP/FS/Jewel
ENERGETIC > SV3 - AP - Jewel - FS/Traillii
EMOTIONAL > AP/Traillii - FS - Jewel - SV3








TREBLE

The treble on AP I found to be fantastic, airy with plenty of detail without ever bordering on a sense of sharpness, crispness or any other ‘ness that could cause discomfort or fatigue over long sessions. This is sweet stuff. It’s very resolving but erring on the side of lush over a sense of technicals, even thought it is indeed very technical. There is plenty of sparkle, but extremely well contained. Once again the UM team have hit it out of the park with the way they were able to give it so much resolving power, tons of air and space, all without sacrificing the musicality and ease of listening. I hear cymbals splash and crash without a hint of glare, without losing out on the energetic attack, or feeling of presence and attack. My usual treble air test track (Jordan Rakei - Clouds) gives a great sense of the vast space, and hearing the airy breathing all around me with the BCD feels like I might just have to wipe off my shoulders and ears when it’s over. The vertical stage is quite good here, lots of air without getting overly out of head and ruining the realistic experience. The BCD does play large role here as well, adding weight, percussive qualities and realism to the top end. I hear it all the way up to 12-14Khz, still adding thickness to even the tiniest speckles of golden dust and featherlike air. Fantastic! There is a slight bump up around 8kHz to add some extra energy and bite, but it’s very light and feels at home with the rest of the tuning. There is also a roll up around 16-18Khz but I have to admit that my 40 year old ears no longer hear well quite that high, or at least not at full volume. If you’ve got dog ears and can hear that, Kudos to you, I’m jealous. I’m sure an extra does of slight brilliance up top would be lovely, and if you’re a young one that can still hear to 20kHz you’ve experienced it differently than I.

I think there are taller and more spacious top ends, that award would go to Elysian, or even Traillii as being the “bigger” “taller” or “extended” by a small bit. But what the AP does so well is keep all the dimensions equal and realistic, increasing the ever present engagement factor. Widest, tallest, or biggest aren’t always something to aspire to, unless it’s matched well. That’s not to say the stage of AP is small, not in the slightest. This is a vast and engulfing stage, one of the bigger ones for sure. It’s not as spaced out as Traillii, but the positioning is better, and it’s clearer where in the stage the sound is emanating from. The AP treble is very smooth and easy to listen to for hours on end. All the hotness and spice of the Mentor has been replaced with effortless air and sparkle that just puts a smile on my face where otherwise my infamous treble sensitive would bear its ugly head and leave me running for the door. One of the best trebles I have heard, it is not as effortless and light as Traillii, or insanely detailed like the SV3, but fabulous for sure. Add in the BCD weight, and the general theme of epic, big, huge and epic again rears it’s head once more. This is one big thick sound, even the top end. The Roaring Tiger, Velvet Reverb strikes again!


TREBLE COMPARISIONS

- Traillii - The Bird is lighter on its feet, and could on some tracks have more sparkle energy resulting in perhaps sounding “brighter” though I hesitate to even use the word. Traillii has a dip in the lower treble making it a bit smoother, AP does not. But somehow I hear the Bird with more sparkle than AP, which sounds more even, all the way up past infinity. Bird treble is very light and airy, like it’s floating in space, very EST like. The Traillii vertical stage is larger and higher here, so the stage feels more open and spacious. AP has more weight, given from the full range BCD doing its magic up top too. Both are fabulous, but I may prefer Trail simply for the fact of that endless space up top, where AP sounds more intimate in comparison, though it is very big and airy too.

- Jewel - For all that I love about the Jewel, its treble is not its attribute who’s love is shared by the community. Famously rolled off and slightly overly relaxed, that’s how I would put it. The spike at 4kHz gives it nice bite and clarity, but almost immediately afterwards it is very airy, and spacious, but loads of sparkle it does not give. I never minded it at all, I found it very enjoyable, but comparing to these treble wizards here I think the Jewel stays more ordinary than exemplary. AP is airier, more open and sparkly while retaining clarity and naturalness. BCD makes it weightier too.

- Mason FS - Another close tuning contender here, though with the EST and full range BCD the AP leaves the FS holding its hat a bit. FS has wonderful treble, but the AP is just better. Similar type, similar tuning, just more open, more airy, more weight too since the FS’ BCD does taper off before the high end. The inclusion of the AP’s EST top end gives it a more effortless style of air and space. More float, even with the added body.

- Supreme V3 - Here is another instance of complete opposite design styles, where one will be either blow you away or polarize you. While the AP has a very generally tuned and perfectly enjoyable high end that would be hard pressed to have haters, the SV3 pushes the limits a bit more. SV3 is indeed more of everything, and if you’re into that kind of tuning there is nothing like it. It is VAST…. Wow. Stage is almost not even the right word for it, just space. The level of detail here is totally mind-melting, it’s the most resolving top end I have ever heard by a large margin. BUT, and this is a fairly big but, there is a lot of energy here too. In my uses I had to EQ down the area around 8kHz by at least 2db for it to be comfortable for longer sessions. It’s not sibilant, it’s not bright per se, it’s simply energetic, or vivid, or cheerfully exuberant. Sharp yes, hot no. Clean and clear? The cleanest and clearest you’ve heard. Vocal reverbs are nuts. Electric guitars/splashes and harder hits are bit too much sometimes. Electronic and modern mastered music will make you reconsider your own hearing, there is so much going on you’ve never heard before. But not for the faint of heart, it’s A LOT. Think about a trumpet or saxophone, that extra edge of metallic energy and brilliance around every note, that’s what I’m talking about here.


QUANTITY > SV3 - Traillii/AP - FS - Jewel
QUALITY > Traillii/AP - SV3 - FS - Jewel
EXTENSION > SV3 - Traillii - AP - FS - Jewel
WEIGHT > AP - Jewel/FS - Traillii - SV3
DETAILS > SV3 - Traillii/AP - Jewel/FS
NATURAL > Traillii/AP/FS - Jewel - SV3










STAGE

This section is copy pasted from a cable review I did, I think it sums it up quite well for my personal feelings.

As always, stage size is hard to quantify and explain. Let’s look at the root of the term “soundstage” for a moment. To me we’re talking about the space around you- in front of you, above and behind you, to the sides- where music is emanating from one central area and the surrounding environment is portraying, affecting, or mirroring this sound into a 3D environmental experience for your ears. There is clearly a stage, with performers, and you the listener are positioned somewhere in the space. You may be in front row center, or “rows” back, like a concert or 2 Channel speakers at home. You could be placed inside the band, like they’re sitting next to you, or even all around you. I have been privy to hear some drool-worthy, insanely expensive 2 channel systems, and let me tell you, they all sound like you’re INSIDE the studio with the band. I’ve also clocked more than my fair share of live concerts, and in that live scenario the band is clearly in front of you, and the music comes from one huge source in that direction. Some may prefer sitting in the middle of a crowd at a festival, moshing or swaying back and forth to the beat, subs shaking your chest with giant vocals floating above your head and a light show emblazoning the sky. Or you’re in a smaller club, smaller system, but the band feels like you can reach out and touch them, emotions flying to your sheer proximity as you can brave their cigarette smoke. Or, like a Snarky Puppy live album, the crowd is literally inside the space, fist bumping along to the crazy inspired jams as one tries desperately not to touch all their amazing gear. So which is bigger? Which is better? Thankfully we don’t have to choose, everyone can enjoy whichever makes them happy, hooray for choices!

As I said earlier, AP has a grand stage. It’s quite even in all directions, though I hear a bit more height and depth vs width. It’s very natural, giving this sense of epic rock anthem soundscapes, without pulling you too much out of head and ruining the sense of reality. This is stadium big, a huge sound, but not disappearing into the next state as some aviary units do. If I had to try and describe the stages in terms of physical dimensions I would say this:

AP - A big 3D oval, with sounds emanating from all around you, especially vertically.
Traillii - An oval, hugely circular, but with the midrange stretching out at the widest edges as far as one can see.
Jewel - a lovely circular stage in all directions, with less height.
Mason FS - A narrower oval, with the high and low end stretching a bit further but keeping the mids more intimate.
SV3 - A very holographic stage, with more depth than any other IEM I have heard. Truly all around you.


SIZE > SV3 - Traillii - AP - FS - Jewel
WIDTH> SV3/Traillii - AP - Jewel - FS
HEIGHT > Traillii/SV3 - AP - FS - Jewel
DEPTH > SV3 - Traillii/AP - Jewel/FS
HOLOGRAPHY > SV3 - Traillii/AP - Jewel/FS
NATURAL > AP/FS - Traillii - Jewel - SV3
EMOTIVE > AP/Traillii - SV3/FS - Jewel








PAIRINGS

It’s become the norm that ultra flagship IEMs finally come with good cables, decent cables. Are they fitting to their price tags? Not really. However there is at least something we can celebrate. As the prices of IEMs keep going up star-ward, the inclusion of something fancy enough not to rip off immediately and replaced in vicious fashion is great news for all of us. All of the IEMs in this group come with good cables, (except Jewel) but considering the price of some of these, it could be said with strong conviction that the manufacturers should have included the very best cables they could find, instead of making us all feel baited and switched when the time comes to shell out cash. The AP comes with the aptly names Amber Pearl cable, and it is a fine cable. It is very similar to the Deep of Universe cable that came with Mentor, though in this case it is pure copper instead of SPC. It also reminds me very much of First Times, especially the weight and color. It does have the somewhat uglier UM hardware which I disapprove of, and I am anxiously awaiting an apology from UM that most certainly will never come as they couldn’t care less what I think.

As stated in my prologue the AP cable is perfectly matched to the IEM, sounds great, and is of high enough quality and resolving powers that the average user for such an IEM could be happy “forever”. UM gave us that much at least, it sounds great. That being said, said manufacturer released another kilobuck IEM last year, and that one has a fancy $3k Meet Agains Shielding cable while the AP has a lesser one. They could say how this cable is precisely matched etc, but I feel it’s a bit of a gut punch not to include a true TOTL cable for this kind of stupid expense. Or Traillii for that matter, $6k and the cable is a fairly standard 4 wire PW 1960s (ish), similar to AP. A great cable sure, and better than some brands give out with their TOTLs, but certainly not the flagship cable available. At the time Traillii’s high end cable made waves, but I think now we all expect a bit more, as prices have soared, so have our expectations to boot. Mason FS came with the PW Attila shielding, but that IEM costs half so the quality to price ratio is fair enough. The SV3 comes with a good RSD 2 wire cable, similar price range as the others. But for this $6.3k flagship RSD recommends their Copper Fantasies -which is a stunning cable- but only for a measly $3k more. And last but not least, the Jewel. This fancy $5.4k IEM comes with a stock cable that looks like they bought it off AliExpress for $3. I’d sooner cut it off with scissors than let that disgrace ever touch my IEMs. Bwah, that is really the worst of them all.

As I said, we have something to celebrate, stock cables are getting better! But for these prices it should be the best.

Rant over. Sorry.






The following is synergy with each of the fancy cables I currently have at my disposal compared to the stock Amber Pearl: Orpheus, 50s Shielding, Rhapsodio Copper Fantasies, and Shirogane.

AP - The stock cable provides a very nice balanced sound, and despite my earlier rant about price, is a fine (meaning: with great class and style) pairing. It holds the AP’s tuning well, providing the huge bass, nice full mids and balanced airy and spacious treble. It has great resolution, tactile energy and very comfortable weight and ergo.

-Swapping it out for Orpheus was met with more resolution, wider stage and more microdetails, but a bit too much midbass. It got overkill for me there, for the sheer amount of bass, but also for the excessively positioned mid bass bump. Orpheus mid were pushed a bit further out, which was a welcome stage increase, but it seemed also to shorten the vertical dynamics and remove some of the air and extension. Orphy is also quite warm, and the mix with AP’s warmth and LP6 Ti AE or Sony WM1ZM2’s warmth was too much. Amazing cable, but not the best synergy with AP, unless paired with a more neutral DAP.

-50s shielding was great, a bit more reference and clean. Great strong bass, adding in a bit more quantity but upping the quality over stock. Rolling off the upper treble just a bit, but a very good pairing and not feeling closed in above like the Orpheus does. 50s has a unique ability to amplify an IEM’s natural vibes, adding just a tiny dose of copper magic to the mix. Detail and resolution are great, as is the pitch black background. Recommended.

-Shirogane took away some of the extra bass of Orphy, which was welcome for me, and added a healthy dose of upper air and stage height. Vs stock the bass is about the same quantity, but deepened, made more taught and textured. Mids are more forward while being more spacious and airy. This brings the AP’s slight V into full blown W territory. It did however smooth out the mid edges a bit, so heavier style of music weren’t as bombastic or energetic, but electronic was great with deeper bass. Vocal tracks, just wow. Treble is more extended, more open, and slightly more featured. I find the Shiro to add a sense of Electrostatic full size headphone-ness to the vibe, there’s something about it that makes me think of that every time I use it. Staging is huge on the Shiro, vast and free while also somehow having big and bold features too. Light on it’s feet, less bombastic in the bass but still very textured and fast. If you want to bring AP a bit more into neutral tuning, the Shiro is a good choice. This very well may be my favorite of the bunch, makes the AP more suitable for all kinds of music.

-RSD CF gave the AP a healthy dose of more everything. More punch, more resolution, extra attack. Bass levels is about the same as stock, but reaches deeper, and has a lot more punch and toughness. Stage is much more spherical and holographic. Adds a little extra bump in the 8kHz region for extra bite, but very tastefully so. Mids are clear and clean like 50S, but more modern sounding, more resolving and more musical too. Fantastic. There is something about the Rhapsodio tuning that gets to me, but if ergo is a concern then its purple rubbery wires might be a nail in the coffin. It’s not heavy, and the wire isn’t truly stiff, it’s more unfettered, with a mind of its own. I find it hard to wear sometimes only because it won’t lie flat, wanting to float and slide around. But staggering sonics, really, an amazing cable and amazing synergy with AP. If I ever went customs with AP I could imagine being able to handle the RSD’s ergo for the sake of its sonic prowess.

FTS - While I don’t have the FTS here with me now, I do remember it well. I did a full review on it a while back, loved it very much, though I always felt it took a backseat to the Orpheus. Very detailed, more punchy and less wide, more top end energy and sub bass focus over the Orphy’s uber analog wide but not tall vibe. In this case, with the AP’s warmth and Orphy’s bass bump, I could easily see the FTS being a perfect pairing. Deeper subbass, forward mids that aren’t as wide to lose engagement and vocal distance, creating a more W signature. Transients with sharper edges, to add a bit of energy to the AP’s velvety relaxed nature. A very tall stage. More punch and speed. Could be great.

I would love to test it, so anyone with a FTS laying around un-used would be strongly suggested, or even coerced, to let me borrow and verify.









CONCLUSION

For the conclusion I thought to be honest and tell you a story. I bought the AP with the very last of my savings, I am not a wealthy person by any stretch of the imagination. After really enjoying it for a while, my struggle with the fit was irking me, then I stressed over the price, and was constantly comparing it to my Traillii in the extreme case I was forced to choose between them. It wasn’t ideal, and these external factors played heavily on my emotions, and my overall feelings about the AP. It got to a point where I let a good friend borrow them for a few days just to release the pressure. I was torn, and not sleeping. After a few days off I started to listen to music for enjoyment again, and no matter what I was listening to, I was missing the AP. Thinking about how it would have made me feel. Missing the bass. Missing the thickness, the BCD. Missing that character. I realized that I had never given the AP a chance to be what it was, only forcing it into a box of what I was expecting, and only with a price to value I was comfortable with. All of a sudden I wanted it back, needed it back, immediately. Thankfully my friend, who had totally fallen in love with them himself, agreed to hand them over, and I have been loving every second since. I just needed to stop obsessing over the details, over AB’ing and pairing, and simply step back and admire how insanely good the AP really is. Perfect no, but astounding yes. Tiger Thunder. Velvet subtleties. Musicality emblazoned with heart and soul. Sonic bliss carried by waves of sub rumbles. Vocals to die for. Easy to listen to for hours, while being extremely detailed. What UM have achieved to fit into these rather bulbous orange tiger shells is pretty stunning.


Now after my back and forth, rediscovery, and final settling on an IEM review filled with heavy praise, here comes the brutal honesty bit. Is it the best IEM ever? No. Is it worth the ludicrous price? Not really. Nothing is worth this price, it’s simply stupid. $8000 for an IEM, what are they thinking?!!? But does it do what no other IEM can in its own way? Absolutely! Do I love it and cherish it? You bet your a** I do. If it was $4-5k I would recommend it as perhaps the best summit allrounder available now, for those that like a little extra bass. While I personally would have prefer it less bottom heavy, I got into it and loved it after my brain adjusted. That. bass. is. epic! The mids are lust-worthy for sure, so velvety and lush. A top end that anyone would love, easy to listen to and with great air and space. It is amazing. But the slight V shape and bass shelf could be divisive to those looking to enjoy things without the heavier bottom end, and with an emphasis on mids, not just great mids. My personal recommendation for the all rounder would probably still go to the Traillii, just because it is a bit more neutral, and I simply couldn’t find a genre that it doesn’t handle perfectly. It also sounds amazing from a phone, where the AP is no slouch, but needs at least better gear to shine. The AP shells are too big for me, but I am learning to deal with it, Traillii also has a divisive for the opposite reason funny enough. They both sound huge, but go about it in different ways and are dramatically different shapes. For my tastes, AP sounds sublime for some genres, and simply great for others. For a $8k IEM that’s quite the pill to swallow. That is only my personal feeling, I’m more of a reference guy, though the AP does continue to grow on me more and more everyday I listen to it. It’s unapologetically fun, huge and powerful, and a tad bass heavy. I’m probably in the minority here, I do know a large part of the population rightfully enjoys a little extra thunder down under. Rumble in the jungle? Tigers love a little thunder I’m certain, at least as far as it fits my metaphors and review mythology. There’s an expression that fits here, but l’ll be stopping now and saying it clearly and simply - this is a fantastic IEM, for an insane price. If you like this tuning, and you have excess cash to burn, I recommend the AP highly. If you’ve bought one you should cherish it, forget how much you spent on it, and just enjoy. If you don’t have the cash to spare the Mentor is a good choice, or even the Mason FS which can procure some of the same/similar BCD experiences, though it does lack the bombastic approach the AP takes. Traillii is great too, a classic that somehow through the passage of time only seems to garner attention and respect unlike the rest of the TOTLs. The AP is different, and only time will tell if it’s going to stick around at the top of the summit. S it sits now it’s certainly one of the best in the world, and fittingly, one of the most expensive. It is really more than the sum of its parts, which is what makes it so special. If you like a fun tuning with amazing yet musical technicalities the AP is hard to beat. Just don’t empty your kid’s college fund for it, nothing is worth that.

Thanks for reading!


If anyone is looking to pick up the AP for themselves I cannot recommend MusicTeck enough. I have no official affiliation, just passing on my personal experiences that Andrew is a Gentleman and a Scholar, and is the nicest guy to deal with when shlepping out all your hard earned dough on gear. I heard there is only a couple APs left, and when they’re gone that’s the end of that.

https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/um-unique-melody/products/um-amber-pearl-iem-without-n30le

Greetings dear fellow Head-fiers, Gear Junkies and Sonic Aficionados, I bid you welcome to my full review of the brand new pure silver cable from Brise Audio, the Shirogane! I have always loved the Brise house sound, their no holes-barred approach to sonics and amazingly detailed yet natural/neutral sounding cables is legend. Truly, Brise needs no introduction in the forums, the little custom cable maker from Japan is considered one of the best in the world, and I can second that notion with full confidence. So when I heard they were making a pure silver cable I was very intrigued to say the least. I wondered until late in the night what could the good folks at Brise possibly come up with that was sonically better than their very impressive Yatano Ultimate? And how would silver play into it - would it be bright or cold, too fatiguing or overly technical, or simply out of this world? Well, as luck would have it, to tide me over, I was able to purchase their Silver Concept 8W, a Shiro prototype Brise made publicly available in small quantities to tease the coming Shiro. Right out of the box I knew I was in for a treat. This was something else entirely, that much was clear. The best treble extension imaginable, and then some. Smooth yet amazingly detailed. Nothing like what I had imagined pure silver would, or could, sound like. A vast stage, huge instruments and space, rumbling deep bass and floating open highs that seemed to continue off into space forever. Something struck me, there was something familiar with what I was hearing. Then it hit me, it sounds a lot like the Tsuranagi! That sense of refinement, class and natural realism coupled with a deeply resolving nature hit me straight in the chest. A more relaxed and classy sound, I was in love immediately. (Truth be told, it sounds a lot like the Yatano Ultimate 8W too, with a noticeable step up in refinement, resolution etc, but more on that later) So I patiently(ish) waited for the official release of the Shiro, paid the moment it was announced, and after receiving it a few days later was overjoyed that find that everything about the Silver Concept I fell in love with was there, but even better. It wasn’t night and day, the tuning was basically the same, but it was indeed a full step up, more refined, more resolving, and a bit more big-and-punchy too. Well done Brise, well done indeed.

While I have immense love for Brise’s sonic prowess, I was always quite transparent about my dislike of their ergonomics and overwhelming use of shrink wrap on very expensive TOTL line cables. It looked cheap, felt heavy and super stiff, and while I dig the utilitarian vibe, (especially the all-black-murdrd-out look) I had a hard time enjoying myself using it. Now, my use use case may very well be different than most; I use my IEMs out and about a lot, so a setup that forces one to sit at a desk isn’t going to last for me. I am happy to report that the Shirogane has been totally redesigned from the cosmetic and ergo side, a brand new product. It is not only the prettiest and most complete visual offering Brise has made, it’s also the softest and most enjoyable cable they’ve ever made, by a hefty margin. Gone is the matte black and electrical tape look, replaced with a beautiful charcoal jacket that looks top class and fittingly expensive. Matte silver (titanium?) hardware adorn the Shiro, replacing the traditional gold to which I am not such a fan. I like understated gear, what can I say? Comparing the feel of Shiro and Yatano (or any other Brise cable for that matter) is a no-contest win; it’s supple, soft and pliable. The jacket is totally different, it actually bounces in my hands. It drapes like a fine piece of jewelry, and looks the part too. But that’s not the best part! Finally the endless layers of shrink on the 4.4mm plug and crawling up the cable have been minimized! You can see it for yourself in the photos, it’s a welcome transformation. This feels like a turning point for Brise Audio, proving they are listening to their customers and addressing something that has been an issue for many. Adjusting a building block of their company’s longstanding mission statement; that cables can be pretty and feel amazing without sacrificing sonics and build quality. In many ways the Shiro even feels like a step up in build quality and durability too, it is super solid. And as expected the sonics are off the chain. This cable sounds pretty amazing!








I’ve now waxed poetic for long enough, it’s time to get into the details. Before I do let me quickly do my usual testing gear rundown and disclaimer in favor of transparency:

-I purchased the Shiro myself, though I did receive a discount from MusicTeck in exchange. As always, there was no pressure or requirements of me to provide a positive review in any way, I was simply asked to share my views, experiences and thoughts with the community. I let the cable burn-in for 175+ hours before doing any critical listening.

-To be clear, I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I don’t do this for work, I spend an enormous amount of time on these. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out enormous amount of cash, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews you will know that I usually choose very expensive gear. This here is a very expensive cable, clocking in around $3500, which for many is simple insanity. I agree. The pricing of gear is totally nuts and we’re headed for Armageddon if this continues. That being said, for people like me, who do believe in cables and the potential they can unlock, this kind of gear bears reviewing, contemplating, and perhaps even buying. If you’re not a cable believer that’s totally fine - you’re far luckier than I, since you find deep enjoyment for less, but perhaps this review won’t be interesting for you. That all being said, I won’t be commenting much on price from this point on, and I won’t even begin to open the can of worms that is the “snake oil” theory on cables. Considering the company we’re in here, all this stuff is stupid expensive and we’re all totally off our rockers. ‘Nuff said, moving on.

-I used a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spent several weeks simply listening to whatever inspired me like I normally would. I love all kinds of music, and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion you absolutely should take how their musical tastes match or differ from your own. A few excepts from my latest listening roster:

Jazz: Snarky Puppy, GoGo Penguin, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Hunter, Avishai Cohen, Kandace Springs, Chris Potter, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Julian Lage, Funky Knuckles, Ghost Note, Aaron Parks.
Rock: Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Rage Against The Machine, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau, Them Crooked Vultures, Tom Petty, Jackson Brown, Jethro Tull.
Modern Music: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, Asgeir, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Glass Animals, Jacob Collier, Moonchild, Robert Glasper, Hiatus Coyote.
Heavy Music: Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, Polyphia, TesseracT, Meshuggah, Hacktivits, Trivium, Sevendust, Periphery, Sepultura, Intervals, Plini, Polyphia.
Electronic: Om Unit, Emancipator, Kryptic Minds, Bonobo, FKJ.


- As my source I used my LP6 Ti AE and Sony WM1ZM2. For IEMs I used Jewel, Traillii and A18t, along with a Rhapsodio Supreme V3 which I am currently reviewing. For shorter listening periods I also tried it on Ragnar Prestige, Mason FS, and UM Amber Pearl. For cables I was able to compare it directly to Orpheus Shielding, 1950s Shielding, Lavricables Grand Silver, plus the Rhapsodio Copper Fantasies cable I am also reviewing now. The Grand sits in a completely different price (and abilities) bracket, but is a very good example of pure silver, especially for the money, so I choose to include it. I will include other TOTL cables I have reviewed recently (FTS, Yatano, OTL) since those comparisons are surely valuable to the community. Keeping in mind those thoughts are from memory and my extensive notes, not from direct AB at this time. While I don’t plan to focus on the Yatano, the similarities are clear, these are both Brise cables with similar DNA and spirit. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!











Ergo and Cosmetics

As I mentioned in the rather lengthy prologue, the Shirogane is a gorgeous piece of art, as well as an example of the pinnacle of audio gear it occupies. The Shiro exudes class and refinement. It is silky and sexy, the built quality is top notch, it just feels nice and solid. It is HEAVY, noticeably more so than even Orpheus Shielding. It is without a doubt the heaviest cable I own, perhaps the heaviest I have used in fact. But I find that it does wear well, and can be comfortable for longer listening sessions once you get it situated and draped on your neck. It feels robust and solid, durable as hell. One of the best “quality and abuse resistant” experiences I have had with a cable. It feels like it could get caught in the car door or run over by a bike and never miss a beat. (Please don’t do that on purpose, all stunts in this review were done by professionals on a closed course). But it is a beast indeed. Part of the comfort it manages is due to the titanium memory wire Brise uses for the ear-hooks, allowing the cable to sort of “float” above your ears if adjusted properly. The Shiro floats less than previous Brise offerings because the (memory) wire is thinner, there is less shrink, and the ear hooks are less obtrusive and stiff than before. In use I found the ear hooks far more comfortable, easier to bend into the desired shape and sitting closer to the ear curves, thus more low profile and sleek. The hardware for Shiro is their Ultimate grade in a different color scheme, with the slider emblazoned with the Shirogane name in Japanese which is a nice touch. The Y split is still a piece of logo’d shrink, but it somehow looks nicer contrasting the charcoal grey wires. The feel and tightness of the 2-pin connectors has also been greatly improved, now with a tighter fit into my IEMs, and a more secure feeling than before. I was always a bit nervous with the previous 2-pins, the shrink and memory wire was so stiff I thought I might actually break my IEMs, or the cable itself, from the tension they created, especially IEMs without recessed jacks. This feeling is solved thankfully. The biggest upgrade is to the 4.4mm stress relief, where before it was 4 or 5 layers of black shrink covering the connector and at least 6 inches of the cable itself. Shiro solves this nicely, the shrink on the connector has a simple white Brise logo, a single visible layer carries over to the harmonic dampener which is nice and sturdy, but only sticks out a bit from the connector now. After that is single piece of transparent flexible shrink similar to what is commonly used on ear hooks, which bends nicely and looks very classy. Suffice to say the 4.4mm plug feels more solid than before, looks very clean, and the cable itself is flexible immediately beyond the plug to allow for easier coiling, easier use with DAPs in pockets, and just less stiff and unruly.

ERGO COMPARISIONS

Funny enough the Orpheus feels almost light and “flimsy” compared to Shiro, which could be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about such things. Shiro is thicker and definitely heavier feeling while remaining elegant. Orphy is a bit dark/industrial/studio looking with its black shielding, and the dash of dark blue accent is gorgeous. It is lighter, more flexible and “softer”. PW Cables have very low profile ear hooks and 2-pins which I love, Shiro’s are bulkier. Orphy is nicer to wear for longer periods, and in general is less noticeable, which is a hilarious statement to make with a straight face. FTS is identical to Orphy, 50s Shielding has the same vibe albeit with a thinner profile and the matte grey bare wires which contribute to its unique look. Eletech is by far the fanciest offering, one could easily award them the title of most gorgeous. As I have said in all my reviews, OTL, and all of Eletech’s cables, are thinner, much softer and generally easier to use and wear than any of the other TOTLs, no contest. The Lavricables Grand has a similar size and feel to Eletech’s, albeit not as reined or supple. It is more DIY looking as I mentioned in my review. The Rhapsodio Copper Fantasies (RSD CF) has a very recognizable look, with that RSD chrome and carbon fiber rhodium plated hardware, sporting stiff and rubbery purple wires that have a mind of their own in terms of how they cooperate (or lack thereof). The 2 wire is however nice and light, the same could not be said for the 4 wire which is supposedly insane to wear. They sound utterly amazing, so all is forgiven.

These are all very pretty cables, but Shiro might be the first cable I’ve tried since Orpheus that is as cool looking for my tastes. Dark and moody. As always, our incredibly varied tastes make this all relatively moot, but this is just my opinion, feel free to disregard it immediately


PACKAGING

I am (in)famously not interested in the unboxing experience, the Brise doesn’t disappoint there. Coming in the standard black cardboard Brise box with gold logo, the cable is just there, wrapped around the circular box insert. There is a metal warranty card and cable smoother bottle, along with their catalog and warranty card. I appreciate this kind of packaging, simple and without pretense. Box went into my storage closet, though I did keep the smoother bottle out since it works really well. Anytime your Brise cable begins to feel a bit stiff and cumbersome, spray a bit on the cable, work it in with your hands and you’ll find it transformed into a silky, soft and slightly shiny version of your cable, looking, and most importantly, feeling brand new.






SOUND

How to describe the Shiro sound? Big, spacious, huge. Endless. Smooth and relaxed, far from what one might expect from a “pure-silver” cable. The treble extension is incredible, best I’ve ever heard. Staging is very large, and is one of the most holographic cables I have heard as well. It’s not as wide as Orphy, but depth, and especially height are unmatched in my opinion. In fact, coupled with the Traillii I got about as close to an electrostatic headphone experience as I've ever had with IEMs. The Shiro is neutral, natural, and very detailed. Mids slightly forward, deep sub bass, expanded and endless highs. Not a shred or hint of ugly brightness. Very detailed but the attack and edges are smooth, resulting in a very relaxed and classy listen without a melting your eyes kind of experience. Endlessly clear and open while remaining smooth and very enjoyable. It has good note weight, but not thick or fat sounding like Orphy. Lively but not overly energetic. All of the FR feels very even, from the deepest sub bass rumble to the highest air and space. It’s light on its feet, nimble and quick. Just wow, very very impressive.

When I was speaking with Brise about the sonics of Shiro, I wanted to know their thought process for this, their first silver cable. While they weren’t at liberty to tell me exactly what was going on inside, I was able to pry some fundamental core values they planned to instill. One of their technical designers told me they wanted this cable to be different from a traditional “Silver identity” cable. Breaking free from treble leaning cables that focused too much on high end. Instead they would build a sound based on a pyramid foundation he told me. On a solid foundation of bold bass and weighty powerful mids on which to place their lust-worthy high end. Not like a big fat bottom and thin top, simply that the tuning identity would be lead in part from the bottom up. It’s very clear they at least started with an interest in a more prevalent and refined top end, they just added in the flushed out mids and bottom to balance it out perfectly. But the end result is much more than that. An interesting prospect to begin a project with, thinking outside the box. I think for this they have succeeded greatly, and for that reason the Shiro is truly something special. Combining that massive sound with the most airy and effervescent top end that lifts off to the heavens, all while being super resolving and fatigue free.

This is not your father’s silver cable.








For those of you with experience with the Yatano, as I mentioned earlier, the Shiro isn’t so different. Yes, it’s a silver cable, and yes there are differences, but I was surprised to hear how “copper” the Shiro sounds. It’s like someone took the Yatano up a few notches in abilities, deepened the bass, gave the treble a face-lift and took off the roof to let it fly free. Enhanced the resolution, made it a touch more accentuated on the high end instead of the thick lows. More refined instead of thick. That’s kind of what we’re working with here. Interestingly, I was recently able to hear the EA Chiron 8W, and Shiro has a lot in common there too. I didn’t have enough time to make a full comparison, and I was using the Silver Concept at the time, but it was quite clear to myself and the Chiron’s lovely owner, these were quite similar in tuning style.

Let’s get into the sonic details shall we?

***The BASS/MID/TREBLE comparisons at the end of each section have been copy and pasted from my previous reviews, and then updated as needed. This is done to maintain cohesion between previous reviews, and to maintain transparency from my impressions as things may change over time***


BASS -

The Shiro bass is fabulous. It reaches very deep, and has great texture and control. It’s punchy and fast, but it’s not aggressively so. Everything about the Shiro is clean and clear, but with a sense of elegance to it. The bass has that vibe, reaching to the depths and physically shaking my chest, but never being so punchy and tight that it gets fatiguing or overbearing across other frequencies. You can already hear the Shiro’s massive staging in the bass regions, I have yet to hear the decay of bass kicks and rumbly tom thwacks the way the Shiro does. I can hear them fade away completely into nothing all around me, even when there is plenty of other things occupying the same space. There is a physicality to the bass, where it holds you tight. It’s laid out in front, and all around you, it’s felt and heard, but it’s not spanky or overtly slamming unless called for. I was testing with Traillii and Jewel, both are great bass machines, but not the most punchy or extreme rumble canons to begin with. So I think what the Shiro is doing here is being transparent, like the rest of the Brise line-up. Letting your gear shine, uninhibited. If there is a huge bass to begin with it’s most certainly not going to remove any, and if your IEM is bass shy it won’t add any. Either way it will tighten it up, deepen it, adding a great sense of control and depth. If there is slam required it will slam, but it can also get out of the way when called for as well. This is a linear presentation of sub-bass vs mid bass, no bloat or shelving here. Bass heads beware, this is not a thump cable, this is tight but relatively relaxed bass. EDM sounds fantastic, but if you crave only quantity and punch this might not be your bag. Other cables do bump harder.


To compare:

Orphy has more punch and authority, reaches a bit deeper, with a noticeable bump in mid bass making it sound bigger and more thunderous. Orphy bass is amazingly, controlled and punchy, albeit a bit slower than others. Shiro reaches deep but is less thunderous, and has more subtlety, more transparency, making the bass less about the cable, and more about what it’s plugged into. Yatano has more mid bass, Shiro is deeper and perhaps a bit more neutral in quantity. I prefer the bass of Shiro over Yatano, though they are very similar in tuning. I find the Shiro more nimble and subtle, giving extra inflection and delay clarity, and a bit more extension. Yatano is a bit more punchy, but lacks the finesse. FTS has similar bass to Shiro, both are well controlled with more or less neutral quantity. FTS punches a bit more, is generally tighter and faster, featuring the sub-bass with a slight pullback of mid bass, while Shiro is even between the two. 50s Shielding is also fast and punchy, with great depth and texture, I really love this bass. OTL is even punchier and more tight, the most guttural of the bunch, also favoring mid bass slightly. OTL has some of the best bass I have ever heard, stunning really. Lavri Grand has great bass, I noticed the texture more so than the slam. Evenly distributed, tight and punchy, just not quite at the level of the other TOTLs. The Copper Fantasies (RSD CF for short) has amazing bass too, it’s fast and punchy with lots of control and tightness. So much texture, geez. It focuses slightly more on mid bass than sub, though it does reach low and rumbles super nicely. Its punch and drive is very addictive, creating toe tapping and head banging sensations in my body I wasn’t necessarily aware existed. It’s not quite as punchy as OTL, but more so than the rest here. I don’t have nearly as much time with this cable as the others, but suffice to say the bass is extremely impressive so far.

In order of punchiest bass > OTL - RSD CF - FTS/50s Shielding - Shiro/Orpheus/Yatano/L Grand
In order of reach (or sub bass) > Shiro/Orphy - Yatano/FTS/RSD CF - OTL/50s Shielding/L Grand
In order of texture > OTL/RSD CF - Yatano/Shiro/50s Shielding/FTS/Orpheus/L Grand
In order of bigness and perceived weight: Orpheus - OTL/RSD CF - Yatano/Shiro/FTS/50S/L Grand








MIDS -

I’m not shy in saying that mids are the star of the show for me, if they aren’t right it’s game over (for me). That’s not to say I don’t care about the rest of the spectrum, far from it. I just need the mids to sound natural, accurate, very resolving and with great timbre and realism. I like maximum resolution but don’t care for overly spicy or harshened transients. If something has been pushed out of wack to make more space, add clarity, or modify how instruments “should” sound, I notice right away and it’s kind of hard to come back from that. Shiro has great, natural, realistic mids. They are exquisitely detailed, and sit ever so slightly forward in the mix which I enjoy. Vocals don’t sit right up in your face, there is some space there, as they float nicely above your head. Instruments are big, bold, and nicely weighted. Again, not thick, just big. Drums sound lifelike and banging, I can clearly hear how the drums were mixed and where the engineer wanted to place each part of the kit. During drum fills it feels like I am behind the kit myself, as the fills go from right to left, but also closer and further from me. Male and female vocals sound lifelike and natural. Guitars, pianos, trumpets, sax, all analog instruments sound real and faithfully presented. I don’t hear the usual odd frequencies tilting things one way or the other, it’s very even. There is a great sense of detail being presented, it’s actually rather staggering the level of resolution, but the vibe is more relaxed and smooth than overly crisp. Transients are clear and clean, but this is not a flashy, spicy, edgy sound at all. Things like electric guitars and drums sound huge, but they are slightly on the smoother side. There isn’t a sharp edge so much as simply refined. That’s a word I could use all over the page with this cable, it is just so mature and refined. It sounds like a fine red wine, or even champagne, in a fancy crystal glass, being lit from behind by LEDs so you can see all the bubbles sparkling before your eyes. Texture and timbre are very realistic. You’d be hard pressed to find a complaint here. I was quite surprised to find this pure silver cable was more groovy and analog than I expected, it was a joy to listen for long periods of time, never fatiguing which can be an issue with overly technical sounds.


COMPARISONS

For mids I always compare directly to the Orpheus, since I find its mids to be unmatched. Orphy’s are wider, and slightly more resolving in the micro details. They are thicker and meatier, just huge sounding. Shiro mids are wide, but Orphy is just wider, that spread is crazy. But Shiro mids spread out all over, just not wide but up and down, deep and way behind you too. Shiro mids are nicely weighted but not thick, they don’t rumble your guts the way that Orphy does. There is this sense of micro-detail and clarity the Orphy has in the mids that’s hard to explain - Orphy is very smooth itself, but I do hear a noticeable increase in clarity and presence in the midrange over the Shiro, over everything really. King of mids indeed. Shiro mids are clear and very highly resolving, but when AB’ing against Orphy I did miss that slight edge of clarity there, especially when listening to heavy guitars. FTS also has forward mids, and a similar level of resolution and presence to Orpheus, just not quite as musical. FTS is a technical marvel, thought for mids I do prefer the Orphy or 50s Shielding. 50S is super clean, amazingly resolving mids, almost clinical sense of clarity that never feels fatiguing. It lacks any sense of color, and for anyone looking for the most reference set of mids out there, this is a great choice. OTL has wonderful mids, while the lower mids have great weight and power they do thin out a bit in the upper mids creating an ethereal tonality which is amazing for some types of music, and less so for others. But very revealing and musical. Once again the Lav Grand performance is amazing for its cost, it has great mids. A different kind of silver mids compared to Shiro, it’s a bit more energetic but retaining the smoothness. So less refined, but very smooth. I will have to say the RSD CF has some of the best mids I have ever heard. Extraordinarily detailed, crisp but not fatiguing, hugely vast yet powerful and weighty. The positioning and space are simply breathtaking, it almost sounds like a BCD driver has been added, the physical attack of instruments seems to have been injected with turbo sauce. This is not the most relaxing cable, thought I never felt the analytically to overwhelm the musicality. As I mentioned earlier, my time with this cable has been very limited, so I can only give early impressions, but it’s right up there with the big dogs. (This one could very well be new top dog soon enough )

In order of resolution in mids >Orphy/RSD CF - Yatano/Shiro/FTS/50S/OTL/L Grand
In order of mids quality (naturalness and realism) > Orphy/RSD CF - Yatano/Shiro/50S/FTS/OTL/L Grand
In order of note weight > Orphy - Yatano/RSD CF - 50S/Shiro/FTS/L Grand - OTL
In order of transient speed and energy > OTL/RSD CF - FTS - Yatano/Shiro - 50S - Orphy/L Grand
In order of analog/warmth/smoothness > Orphy - Shiro/Yatano - 50S/FTS - RSD CF/OTL/L Grand







TREBLE -

Here is where the Shiro really takes the cake, and gives me something I had never really heard before. I used to think treble sparkle could be painful when in abundance, and synonymous with brightness. That extra air and space could only be achieved with pushed/peaked upper frequencies resulting in overly crisp and intense sparkly vibes that made me uncomfortable. Not so with the Shiro, this is treble as well done as I have heard. Where little whispers of gold and silver flecks softly parade around your head, and far above. Weightless. Effortless. Superbly natural and without a single iota of pressure. Imagine hearing things up above your head you never knew were there, in recordings you know by heart from 10,000+ listens. Now imagine those highlighted, shown clearly as thought backlit by LEDs so the tiniest details are shown, while you gape in awe. This is treble that is present, even highlighted, but never fatiguing. I use a track by Jordan Rakei for treble testing, called Clouds on his newest LP, and it has this crazy breathing atmospheric stuff at the beginning. I referenced this in my Orheus review as well, where Orphy has this great spread the Shiro has oodles more space above, and I hear things I simply didn’t know where there, despite hearing this track alllll the time.

This is what I am talking about, that is the Shiro top end.

I spoke earlier about Brise’s design methodology for the Shiro, the pyramid. A sound built on bass and mid weight, a powerful sound, with a lighter top end. In that way one might imagine the Shiro top end would be lighter and thinner, but in fact only just so in the highest regions. The lower treble still has plenty of beef on it. When things get way up top then the lightness and space take over. Now, I am a self professed naturalist, as I stated earlier if things don’t sound real then I lose interest. The Shiro has that effortless extension and space above, but with a more natural weight to the treble notes, so things like cymbals, screaming guitar solos, synth pads and even falsetto voices all have weight to them. Above that the space takes over, things thin out and you’re greeted with that illustrious aforementioned air and gorgeous flecks of light and sound. Something like the crossover from BA highs to EST when it’s done super well.

With Shiro the sparkle is well controlled and evenly laid out as you transfer from lower treble to upper, sparkle to air, air to space and beyond. Here the word refined comes into play again. In fact, this might be the most refined and simultaneously relaxed treble I have heard. It does the impossible, making treble so beautiful without a hint of glare, shrillness, brightness or painful peaks. Now, for those treble heads worrying that this isn’t right for you, I think you’d be pleased greatly. It’s not overly done, not exceedingly bright in any way, but the treble quality is just outstanding. The quantity is also great, this is not a treble shy cable in any way. With something like Jewel which has a more relaxed top end, it’s top end is glorious, more prominent, and far more extended and open. Even Traillii’s sometimes overly sparkly side feels well in check here, without losing any of its quantity, the quality is improved, more silky. The extension is nuts. I thought that was going to be a bright combo, but not at all. Shiro nails that finesse, clarity, air and space without bordering into ouch territory. Remember the champagne? The LEDs? Here is where that comes in spades. Reverbs in all directions, swirling sensations that clearly emanate from far above my head, or directly behind it. Like in the mids, transients and edges are smoother rather than overly crisp. Remember, this is a refined and relaxed cable, although capable of extremely technical abilities, it never shines the light too harshly on overly accentuated sparkle. There is of course plenty of sparkle, there is plenty of treble, but it’s no more than what sounds balanced.


COMPARISONS

I would have thought Shiro would be sparkle city, for that you may want to go with OTL as it’s available in abundance. FTS too, a bit of extra bite giving some clarity but also being a bit less forgiving. Both of those have great extension, OTL being taller, very similar to Shiro, FTS less so but a bit more revealing and sharp. 50s Shielding is more rolled off, Orpheus even more so. Both have great airy treble, but the vertical staging and sparkle are far more controlled. Yatano is similar to Shiro, but less refined and extended. Lavra Grand has a nice even top end with good sparkle. It’s smooth but not as refined as Shiro. Edges are a bit more sharp than something like 50S, but less so than FTS. The RSD CF is extremely extended, wide open and with a touch of crispness and faster transients. There is a small lift around 8-10k that gives a sense of bite and energy that can be addictive in the right pairings. It has equal depth and height to the Shiro, but in a different presentation. RSD CF is energetic and sprightly, Shiro is more relaxed and elegant.

In order of treble quantity > OTL - FTS/Shiro/L Grand - /RSD CF/Yatano - 50S - Orphy
In order of treble quality > Shiro/RSD CF - Yatano/OTL - FTS - 50S/Orphy/L Grand
In order of treble extension > Shiro/ RSD CF/OTL - FTS/Yatano - 50S/L Grand - Orphy
In order of note weight in treble > Orphy/Brise 8W/50S/ - RSD CF/Shiro/FTS/L Grand - OTL






STAGE-

As always, stage size is hard to quantify and explain. Let’s look at the root of the term “soundstage” for a moment. To me we’re talking about the space around you- in front of you, above and behind you, to the sides- where music is emanating from one central area and the surrounding environment is portraying, affecting, or mirroring this sound into a 3D environmental experience for your ears. There is clearly a stage, with performers, and you the listener are positioned somewhere in the space. You may be in front row center, or “rows” back, like a concert or 2 Channel speakers at home. You could be placed inside the band, like they’re sitting next to you, or even all around you. I have been privy to hear some drool-worthy, insanely expensive 2 channel systems, and let me tell you, they all sound like you’re INSIDE the studio with the band. I’ve also clocked more than my fair share of live concerts, and in that live scenario the band is clearly in front of you, and the music comes from one huge source in that direction. Some may prefer sitting in the middle of a crowd at a festival, moshing or swaying back and forth to the beat, subs shaking your chest with giant vocals floating above your head and a light show emblazoning the sky. Or you’re in a smaller club, smaller system, but the band feels like you can reach out and touch them, emotions flying to your sheer proximity as you can brave their cigarette smoke. Or, like a Snarky Puppy live album, the crowd is literally inside the space, fist bumping along to the crazy inspired jams as one tries desperately not to touch all their amazing gear. So which is bigger? Which is better? Thankfully we don’t have to choose, everyone can enjoy whichever makes them happy, hooray for choices!

The Shiro sits firmly in the middle, with great width and space but leaving the instruments closer to you, more “reachable”. What it does have, is one of the largest environments around you, filling it with all the extra air and space one would enjoy at the largest festival style concerts. The air above you really does feel limitless. Sounds emanate from far behind you, thuds underneath you, or whispers in your ear. That sense of being outside, sounds bouncing off the walls or the smelly shirtless guy behind you dancing far too wildly for his girlfriend’s comfort. Or at Yoshi’s in San Fransisco, where you can hear the musicians breathing and sweating, while also hearing the waiter get the order wrong at the table behind you. All this = Shirogane.






COMPARISONS

The “widest” stage of any cable I have heard is still the Orpheus, nothing else comes close. But it does in fact stretch the mids out and push some of the instruments further away and off to the sides, which can be amazing for some things, and less so for others. It can sound unnatural at times, and the upper extension is not the greatest. Nothing is perfect, but the Orphy stage is as close as any. The Shiro doesn’t have the stretch of the Orpheus, but it is perhaps the most holographic stage I have heard. When going back and forth between the two, for the first brief moment the Orphy sounds almost flat, missing that space above. After your ears adjust you do hear it being wider and bigger, but that Shiro sense of height is indeed addictive. Shiro is similar to 50s Shielding, but more so, bigger, taller and wider. FTS is also quite tall, but Shiro beats it by some, while FTS mids are closer and more forward I hear Shiro spreading a bit wider. OTL height is very impressive, the rest of the spectrum is more intimate and physical. Lavri Grand has a very holographic stage, despite not being really huge in any one direction. Very good placement, great environment feel. RSD CF has an extremely big stage, all around you and yet also very wide. Very tall too. (It’s too early to tell but this may very well be the new King of the Stage).


As I said in previous reviews, if I had to try and describe the stages in terms of physical dimensions I would say this:

-Shiro would be a huge 3D oval, with sounds emanating from all around you, especially vertically.
-Orpheus would be like an oval, hugely circular, but with the midrange stretching out at the widest edges.
- 50S and Yatano would be a lovely circular stage in all directions, though not as big or wide as Orphy/Shiro.
- FTS would be a narrower oval, with the high and low end stretching a bit further but keeping the mids more intimate.
- OTL would be a reverse pyramid, the high end having the largest and most space and getting smaller and more intimate as it goes downwards.
- L Grand has a very holographic stage, but less spread than others. Perhaps around the 50S size.
- RSD CF is also hugely 3D, circular, with perhaps the most depth of any IEM stage I have ever heard. Height is less, but width, depth and even sub bass depth are rather astounding.


Stage Width > Orpheus - Shiro/Yatano/RSD CF - FTS/50s Shielding/OTL/L Grand
Stage Height > Shiro/OTL - RSD CF - FTS - 50s Shielding/Yatano, Orpheus/L Grand
Stage Depth > RSD CF - Shiro - Yatano/FTS/Orpheus, OTL/50s Shielding/L Grand
Stage Holography > Shiro/Orpheus/RSD CF/L Grand - Yatano/FTS/50s/OTL









PAIRINGS

I firmly believe that synergy is everything in audio. How two pieces of gear work together makes more difference than any amount of hard earned cash could ever hope to buy. Sometimes the simplest, even cheapest is the missing link between you and that sound in your head you’ve been searching and yearning for all these years. It always makes me think of Eric Johnson’s guitar rig; to bridge his Marshall amps he absolutely swears by this little plastic Y split from Radio Shack. Costs $8, I know ‘cause I bought one myself and it’s amazing. So, better isn’t always more expensive. Though one must admit that great + great = ~ best chance of success. So, that being said, here are the pair-ups that I enjoyed the most during my testing. Keep in mind that these are based on my personal tastes. What I wanted to get out of each IEM, or what I wanted to change about it with a certain cable choice are what I wanted, not some universally accepted truth.


Aroma Jewel - For a year or so I had the Orphy basically superglued to my Jewel, I loved that combo. But, I eventually found the top end to be too rolled off, too relaxed, and I wanted something with more extension. Shiro is my personal favorite, followed up by 50s Shielding. Both of these are fantastic cables for Jewel and receive my highest recommendations. I also liked the Yatano 8W, but found the slight uptick around 6k, mixed with the Jewel’s already prominent 4k peak to be a bit fatiguing. For a more budget offering I spent a two month tour with the L Grand on Jewel and it was fabulous. For me the Jewel has great tonality and technical abilities, but is a bit thin without the right cable. I preferred copper to thicken it up, thought not too rolled off like Orpheus. Shiro is fantastic as it opens the top end considerably, while giving more weight and power without sounding overly technical.

Traillii - We know from legend and lore, Traillii + Orpheus is a magical combo. I had it a few years ago, but eventually sold the Bird for Jewel in custom form. A few weeks ago I actually rebought Traillii after hearing it with Orpheus again, this time with my LP6 Ti AE, my jaw was on the floor. This is an amazing combo, holy shnikees! The stage spread is crazy, and it helps to slightly smooth out the Bird’s top end that can be occasionally overly sparkly for my tastes. Shiro I found fantastic as well. As I mentioned earlier, it's a very electrostatic-full-sized-headphones kind of experience - notes "float" around you unlike any other IEM and the Shiro emphasizes that fully. It did lack the weight that Orphy gave me, but in exchange you get more airiness and much more stage height without sounding at all thin. Big fat sound with super stereo spread? Orpheus. Huge but light on its feet electrostatic vibe? Shiro. 50s Shielding is great too, but it looses some of the vastness, instead refocusing the sound in a bit more of a reference tuning. The only other cable I liked as much is the RSD CF, it somehow has the same vastness as Orphy, the punch and growl of the OTL, the extension of Shiro, the crisp mids of 50s Shielding, and the energy of FTS, all wrapped up in a funny purple jacket that sounds as otherworldly as it looks. Traillii + RSD is a revelation and might actually directly compete, or even topple Orphy, maybe. I need more time to say such a thing with full confidence.

UM Amber Pearl - I have had the AP for only a week or so, but it’s already rocketed to the top 5 of all time for me. An amazing technical IEM that oozes musicality and fun too, not a simple feat. It has a fairly healthy bass lift, centered around the midbass, warm gorgeous mids and expansive treble that is well extended and easy to listen to. The best BCD I’ve ever heard by far. A gem really. I found the Orpheus great, effortlessly detailed and oh-so-wide, but the added midbass bump made the combo extremely bass heavy for most things. EDM hell yeah, rock less so. Shiro made the whole combo more balanced, more extended and featuring the top end more which I loved as it took some of the weight and focus away from the bass. But the edges of Shiro are a bit more smooth, and I would have preferred a slightly more edgy sound to the mids which are nicely relaxed to begin with. I found the EA Chrion 8W to be fantastic, as well as, yes again, the RSD CF. This cable just makes everything sound amazing with it. AP was brought up a few levels in technical abilities, punch, clarity and openness, while adding a taught and energetic nature. I didn’t get a chance to hear it myself with the FTS or OTL.

UM Mason FS - I owned this glorious IEM once, and got a chance to demo it for an extended period a few weeks ago. While Orpheus was great, it was too thick and warm for my tastes, especially given my DAP choices. Shiro was awesome, bringing the FS to new heights, and bringing the sub-bass up and evening out FS’s mid bass bump. Great mids, more extension, a fantastic choice. Myself and a few others I’m aware of love the FS with 50s Shielding, tilting it more into the reference vibe without losing the musicality. I also saw someone selling a L Grand paired with the FS saying it was the best combo available, so there’s that. I didn’t get a chance to hear it myself with the FTS, OTL or RSD CF.

Rhapsodio V3 - in my brief experience with this monster of an IEM I found it to be hugely resolving, very energetic and lively, with positioning and extension up there with the best, if not more so. I have a review coming of this copper dragon soon enough, so I will keep most of my thoughts for later when they’re more clear, but I can say that it is very susceptible to cable changes. I tried all my cables with it, and while they all sounded great, nothing compared to the RSD CF. And no surprise, the CF was specifically designed for the V3, they are a match made in heaven. Actually much of what makes the V3 so impressive lives in the CF too, they sold like each other if that can be understood. Similarly to how Shiro makes me think of the Tsuranagi, so does the RSD CF conjure memories of the Brass Supreme V3, that Rhap secret sauce is in there. Orphy and Shiro were great too, but that magic pairing just couldn’t be beat.


As always, personal preferences, feelings on a certain day, your mood, cost, tired or fresh ears all play a crucial role in choosing what synergy you prefer. Ive had days where one cables blew my mind and the next it was something else. When you find yourself coming back to the same combo over and over again, then you know you’ve found something really special. Something I really enjoy is to sit down with some cables, my favorite IEM, and a new album. Just hang out, getting to know the music with one pairing, and then revisiting certain tracks with different cables to see how it changes. I’ve spent a lot of time lately doing this, and it has gotten me emotionally familiar with many of the greatest TOTLs available now. This is fun stuff, I’m such a nerd, I know. My wife walks by as I am on the couch in “my spot”, I see her eyes gaze over all the colorful nonsense I have laid out before me and she smiles understandingly. She’s sweet to pretend she cares.

But what really makes me feel complete is simply grabbing my favorite combo, taking a walk with a hoodie on, and just consuming the music, letting it engulf my senses and take me on a journey of sound and joy. As I walk the music moves me, and all my hard work to find that perfect combo pays off in spades. Isn’t that the whole idea of all this anyway? There is certainly something to the chase and hunt, I do literally salivate at the idea of new gear. My G.A.S and the search for new and better is scary at times, but let’s all not forget why we’re here in the first place - to enjoy music!







THE CONCLUSION

And so, we arrive at the conclusion of this review, you all made it this far, congrats! I’m sorry for the length, but as you can see, I am very thorough and need to explain my thoughts at length, especially for a cable this expensive. So, what are my final thoughts? I think that the very first paragraph of this review sums it up quite perfectly, I love this cable! I could have probably just stopped there. It’s the best Brise has come up with so far; the best looking, the best build and feel, with sonics to match. It’s wonderfully even, neutral and clean, with the best top end extension I have heard in a cable. It has a present but perfectly balanced treble, giving me a top end I never knew how much I could love. For a self professed treble sensitivity guy, this has moved the goal posts for sure. It has a “reference” tuning that allows it to pair nicely with basically any IEM out there. It’s more relaxed but also energetic enough to be punchy and engaging. It’s smooth enough to avoid fatigue, but plenty of pop and sizzle when called for. If you liked the Yatano, you’ll love the Shiro. If you liked the FTS, OTL, 50s Shielding you’ll love the Shiro. It’s hard not to love. And, for the first time I could say that a cable has approached my endless love for the Orpheus. It’s not better, but different enough, it has its own special sauce that is addictive and very impressive. With certain IEMs I do prefer it over Orphy, but that’s based on a given IEM’s need for adjustment. I know, that’s a heavy statement, but I do believe it. The Shiro really is something very special, that much is certain. It’s also super awesome looking, I mean how cool is that charcoal and matte black look!

What else could anyone ask for? For those in the market for a summit-fi upgrade cable, the Shiro receives my highest recommendations. This is not your father’s silver cable, and it should be regarded as such. Forget it’s silver, forget what you know about silver, and just let the Shirogane reel you in for hours, weeks and years of pure audio enjoyment.

If you want to get one for yourself you can do some here: I am in no way affiliated with MusicTeck, I simply want to pass on my recommendation, Andrew is the best and he’s always willing to go the extra mile for someone who needs it.

Thanks for reading!

Welcome dear HeadFi-ers to my review of the Lavricables Grand Silver IEM Upgrade Cable, in the beautiful newly released Baltic Grey!

This review will probably be a bit different from the cables I have reviewed in the past, simply because the Grand is in a totally different price bracket compared to the kilobuck TOTL flagships I usually review. This will also be the 1st pure silver cable I have reviewed, and while I have some experience with Silver cables, it’s not to the extent I have with pure copper, or copper variants. That’s not say it’s of lower quality, amazing gear is available in all different price categories. The Grand comes in at the paltry price of 489 Euro in my sample’s configuration, a far cry from the eye-watering prices we have grown accustomed to as of late. Now, I could go on and on about cables, their costs, the enjoyment to price ratio, and how even ~500 Euro is still a lot of money for a cable. Agreed on all fronts - it’s hard to imagine I own a cable that costs 10x that, I’m nuts for sure. So going forward I will simply assume that you think aftermarket cables are worth it, and based on my history this is by far the least expensive cable I have reviewed, therefor earning its moniker “affordable”. In a sea of aftermarket TOTL options this cable even seems “cheap”. I will be the first to admit that I was somewhat skeptical of what a cable can do at this price range, which is in and of itself a shame and a metaphor for the state of gear at the moment. Why must something cost as much as a used car to be produce sublime audio experiences? That’s a question I ask myself often, and interestingly this cable arrived at my door at precisely a moment such as that. About to embark on a 2 month intensive summer tour, I was trying to decide what gear to bring with me, struggling with the idea that my gear might get damaged or even ruined along the way. How could I possibly survive without my precious TOTLs? After laughing hysterically at my own insanity, I took a deep breath and decide to take “but” the Grand with me, along with my Jewel customs and Sony 1ZM2, for its exceptional battery life, and amazing sound. The fact that this is my “basic” setup brings some conversations to mind I need to have with myself at the soonest opportunity concerning my state of mind, and quite presumably my flailing bank account balance as well. All that notwithstanding, I left for tour and hoped for the best. I am delighted to report the tour was amazing, and I had a blast with this cable! It sounds awesome, performs well above its price point, is very comfortable and easy to store, which comes into play often in Airports/Trains when I had to either wear it or put it away in not the most comfortable of environments. It didn’t leave me wanting for anything, really. I loved my time with it. But how does it compare? Before we get into that nitty gritty ditty, my brief disclaimer:


I was contacted by Konstantin of Lavricables, (super nice guy by the way) who told me really liked my reviews and asked if I would be interested in reviewing his newest addition. I said I would indeed, and he sent a new cable in the configuration of Baltic Smoked Grey with Rhodium plated titanium looking hardware with 2-pin connectors and 4.4mm plugs. He told me if I liked the cable I was free to keep it, but nothing was required of me in terms of positive feedback or anything of the sort. He offered me their burn-in service which I happily agreed to, (150hrs) which is an awesome service and I really wish more companies did this. When the cable arrived to my house it was all ready to go, which for a reviewer is a delight, no waiting for it to open up, smooth out or settle which can take forever, especially for silver or other exotic materials. Konstantin agreed to let me take the cable on tour to try out as a torture test, after which point I would return home and write the review about my experiences with it. Sneak peak; I am going to keep the cable





Please enjoy these specs taken directly from the Lavricables website:

• Carefully handmade braided cable consists of 4 cores of AWG20 6n purity cryo treated multistrand litz wire.
• Soldered with Mundorf Supreme Silver 9.5% audio solder.
• Woven Teflon Litz construction is ideal to deliver RFI and EMI rejection and provides low capacitance.
• 6N silver transmits electrical signals faster and with less distortion than ordinary OFC wires.
• High grade Teflon insulation gives a predominant air dielectric and is regarded as the best insulator for bare cable.
• Please note – silk sleeving is available till the Y split.


When all this began I was not so informed about Lavricables. While I had heard of them, and people mentioned the name in passing, I will honestly say that I didn’t know by sight their work or what kind of cables they made. So I checked it out, while browsing their website it’s clear they are a bit more of a DIY style of manufacturer, making me think of Double Helix cables, where one can choose the connectors, length, hardware and cosmetic choices before buying the cable. This is quite a cool idea, as not everyone has the same idea of what is pretty, but it also feels a bit different from the TOTL cables out there where each aspect of the cable, package and experience was carefully considered. To each their own, I am happy to have some choice concerning the cable’s look as long as the sound isn’t affected, and I couldn’t care less about the packaging or presentation. The Grand arrived to my house in a little soft velvet(ish) bag with the Lavricables logo and honestly this is the least annoying and most useful/eco friendly/minimalist packaging I have seen, and I appreciate it. Others may want more, but I simply don’t care or need… I digress.

As I mentioned earlier this review will be a little different/shorter than my usuals. In this price bracket I have less experience, and I have on hand only one other pure silver cable, the Brise Silver Concept 8W (now released as Shirogane, priced at $3500) which costs 7 times as much. I’ve heard quite a bit of cheaper cables, especially the DIY kind when I first got into the hobby, but this is not that in any way. This is a real finished product, carefully built with lots of effort and time going into it. So, I will compare it as apples to oranges, or perhaps wine to champagne could be more accurate. Or great wine and super expensive rare wine - I let you all decide afterwards.

All testing was done with Jewel and A18t as reference standards - using the Sony 1ZM2 on the road, but quite a bit with my AK SP3000 before I left and LP6 Ti AE when I got home. My library is very diverse, from modern jazz and 60s rock to Electronic of all kinds, funk, metal, classical, opera and everything in between. Super fancy mastered stuff, or old vinyl rips or Reel2Reel even, I enjoy it all as long as the music is good. While writing this I was enjoying some Snarky Puppy and Ghost Note followed by Jordan Rakei, Trivium, Gojira, Tool, Moonchild and Dire Straits etc etc - just to give you an idea.

To take a peek at the other cables I have reviewed, so you can get an idea of what else I have heard, you can check them out here if you wish: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/authors/tokpakorlo.537659/reviews

Let’s get into it!






LOOK and FEEL:

The Grand is a very pretty cable, that much is clear from the get go. I am (in)famously not a fan of overly shiny or flashy cables or hardware - I find it overly bling-y, and it attracts too much attention when I am out with it. Yes, I know I am in the minority here. With its exposed pure silver wires somehow the Grand doesn’t bother me at all, I think because of the very cool Baltic Grey sheathing that gives it a much darker and more matte vibe. It looks smoked vs a fully transparent jacket, and I like it. If it was black I would probably like it more, but what’s a little color in my life, or a little brightness in this case. It’s a nice clean look, and matches well with the carbon fiber and matte grey hardware adorned with the Lavricables logo.

I especially like the 2 pin connectors. They are modern looking, and clearly labeled with a ring of red or blue for Left and Right respectively. A huge plus for me was how tight they were in the socket - really really snug! Not a bad tight, just enough to easily get them on, followed by a feeling of security and ease knowing my IEMs won’t fall off, even under my slightly abusive use cases. I wish 2 pin connections would always be tight like this, especially when dealing with expensive IEMs that don’t have a recessed socket. Whilst traveling, this contributed heavily to me being more keen to take my IEMs out in airports, trains or busses, knowing my precious Jewels wouldn’t be found on the floor later on.

As stated before the hardware is a bit more DIY style, in this case the Y split and 4.4mm plug are very nice, but more “off the shelf” looking than others I know or have used. That being they are of great quality, fit and finish is great, and Rhodium plated which I really like. They have a bit of a terminator kind of look, almost like Titanium and carbon fibre, so equally at home in a sci-fi movie or in a fancy sports car. Lavricables also offers Viablue and other staple brands of high end hardware, just know that it’s not necessarily proprietary for their use only. As an example, my chin cinch is just a clear rubber ring - while not being terribly fancy it does hold better than any kind of custom made piece, and was a joy to use. I never had to re-adjust it once in two months, so that’s saying something. I’ve got absolutely nothing against DIY style, it’s probably one of the reasons they are able to sell the cable cheaper without investing in enormous R&D, hardware design research and custom tooling for fabrication. Either way, the hardware is very nice and looks perfectly balanced with the cable’s pale steel grey wires, keeping it decidedly away from flashy, and pointed more so in the darker/moodier/more batman style to which I am accustomed.







The Grand is very soft and supple, especially when compared to the sheathed and shielded stuff I usually use. The wires are a comfortable size, nice looking and easy to wear without being obtrusive. The braid in on the looser side, especially above the Y split. There is a bit of a bounce to the cable, the wear weight is nothing at all, and I found it to essentially disappear for longer listening sessions of which I had many. It unfolds easily and I didn’t have a problem with tangles. There is a slight sense of rubberiness, but I believe that is simply how these kinds of cables feel - I am used to the nylon sheathing which many many people don’t like, so after I stopped thinking about it I no longer noticed. Not unlike cables of this price range there is some microphonics, but nothing more than others built similarly. In normal daily use it was a pleasure to wear, basically disappearing while I was listening - enough to fall asleep a number of times while editing, finding my face deep in my laptop’s keyboard, IEMs still in and music playing. I work too much, but that’s another conversation.

My only gripe with the feel is the edges of the shrink wrap on the ear hooks. The shrink used is a bit thicker than others, and it has a visible edge. Said edge touches right on the middle of my ear, creating a feeling that I didn’t enjoy, gritting a bit, and I was forced to adjust it often. It wasn’t terrible, and after some time it did seem to go away, but I would suggest that they use a thinner shrink for this so it’s not as noticeable. On my other cables this edge is not noticeable at all, even with the gauge of the wire is far far thicker. Small gripe, really the only negative I find with this cable, especially for this price point.

** I’ve since spoken with Konstantin and he told me they are already using a thinner shrink here, so I’m sure it’s a problem of the past now***





SOUND:

I mentioned earlier that my experience with Silver cables is somewhat limited. I tried a few when I was first starting out, and while they may not have been of great quality, at the time I found them a bit bright. I called myself a Cooper guy, and was proud of it. I felt that - and I think a broad feeling in the audio/headphone community at large was/is - Copper equals warm and emotional, while silver is brighter and colder. Yes, I know now that’s not true, there are huge exceptions to that in both sides, but it’s a guideline that many people still follow on some level. “I don’t think a silver cable would be good on this IEM as it’s already bright” or similar. Cooper is gooey and warm, good for “taking the edge off” a bright IEM or similar. The Orpheus (pure copper) is one of the most detailed and resolving cables I have heard, and the Brise Silver Concept (Brise’s first foray into pure silver) is anything but bright and cold, but rather unbelievably musical, resolving, and a sumptuous listen. Pure silver can be clean and clear but also natural and smooth too. The Grand falls into this description nicely, it is perhaps the most smooth and unobtrusive silver cable I have heard. It’s a lovely listen, a genuine surprise for me. I find nothing to fault, nothing sticks out or bothers me, instead I found myself focusing on how much I enjoy listening to it. Is it the most resolving/technical/gargantuan-stage/epic sounding cable of all time? No it is not. But it is one of the few I have heard where nothing bothers me. That’s quite something right there.

The Grand is very well balanced, I found no particular frequency or area to be highlighted or attenuated. It is neither warm nor cold, and it is definitely not bright or crispy. As stated, it’s quite smooth and even. Not smooth to the point of fault, no removal of transients edges or polishing out the top end, it’s all there just presented in a nice, comfortable and pleasant way. If you’re looking for a lightning fast silver sound with tons of energy and bombastic crispness this might not be your cable. Neither is it overly smooth and boring, striking a nice balance between resolving and musical natures. With different IEMs and source, and a different library than mine I think it could be pushed in a more energetic direction if one chose so. This is a neutral cable, a balanced cable, and so it will carry the source and library along with it. Clean and clear, it should pair nicely with just about anything.






Bass reaches deep and has good texture and grip. I hesitate to say neutral quantity since that’s very subjective, but I personally found it neither too bass heavy or lacking in any way. I personally prefer a more neutral bass presentation, so I can safely say it’s not boosted or shelved, but I don’t think anyone will be bummed out with its lack of oomph. Bass is evenly distributed between sub and mid bass regions, from the deepest depths to punchy thumps, equal in quantity. Quality is very good, well controlled and punchy, an enjoyable bass for sure. Compared to some TOTL stuff it’s not as punchy or deep, not as textured, but at this price point it’s great.

Mids are great too! Nice body, good weight and punch, well controlled and musical at the same time. I would say the mids are pushed ever so slight forward, but not shouty with a peak in the upper mids as some cables do. With the Jewel’s already accentuated 2k area I heard the same or even less presence there which was a nice surprise. I found the A18t’s clinical personality to remain, unaltered while remaining musical and enjoyable. Transients are smooth and clear, but erring more on the smooth side if that’s something you’d worry about. It’s not dull, mids are nicely detailed and clean, but slightly on the smoother side. Again this isn’t an ultra spicy silver cable, it’s really far more tame than that. Vocals and instruments are presented faithfully and clearly, with good texture and space. Detail retrieval in the mids was very good, crisp and resolving, but not to an analytical level. Always musical and enjoyable.

Treble was very nice, smooth and extended. Note weight was rather even here, not drifting off into space and thinning out as some cables do. Here is one place where I suspect some might find a “lack” as I don’t hear the extra sparkle and spice some might equate with silver cables. It’s not overly smooth, like removing information, it’s just very natural and spacious. There is nice sparkle and air, with good amounts of detail and resolution in the high end. The smoothness here may also be something of the same, while I really enjoyed that smooth presentation of treble, I could imagine that some might want more energy there. This as always is YMMV, but continuing im that natural and even presentation the Grand stays true all the way to the top.

Stage size is always quite hard to describe or quantify. The stage on the Grand isn’t huge, but what really surprised me was how spherical and holographic it was. More than once I was rather blown away by how far behind my head I was hearing things with the Grand - even more so than other TOTL cables I have heard. There is quite a difference between stage size and holography, bigger doesn’t mean holographic. Or bigger doesn’t mean better either, unless that’s your absolute favorite thing. I like the example of Traillii vs Jewel - Traillii has the largest stage width of any IEM I’ve heard, but the Jewel wraps around you. More height and depth equates a different feeling, inside the music with the band, while super wide is more like a few rows back, or a super vast stadium feeling. Some may prefer one or the other, this is incredibly personal. But again I was quite surprised by how 3D the stage on the Grand was, wrapping around me even if the width/height/depth was about average. So while there isn’t enormous space between the layers or wildly staggered positioning, there is plenty of room for anything I was listening to, never feeling cramped, congested, or lacking in air. Very nice stage actually, one of my favorite aspects.






COMPARISONS:

At this time I only have one pure silver cable to compare, the Brise Silver Concept (Shirogane). This is a staggering cable, perhaps the best I have heard in fact, so I think it’s somewhat unfair to compare them on paper, with a price difference of 7x. In real life I am reminded of just how diminishing the returns are the more you spend on cables - there is a difference for sure, the Brise is better, but it’s not like the Grand feels vastly inferior. That’s in no way casting a shadow on the Brise, more like highlighting the Grand as far better than its price tag would imply. Both are very smooth and enjoyable, with nothing jutting out at you or disturbing the balance. They are both more or less reference neutral tunings with great musicality.

While the Grand is wonderful, the Brise is simply more in ever aspect. It is more resolving, more clean and open, deeper bass and more texture. But the general idea between the two is very similar - pure silver done in a way that is enjoyable and musical, smooth without sacrificing detail. (Although the Brise is Summit-fi insanely detailed and top technically performing while also remaining super musical and smooth - perhaps where that 7x price tag goes). For the money the Grand is the obvious choice for 99% of users, you pay more you get more, but what you get for less is really quite amazing.

The Grand is far lighter, more comfortable and less obtrusive with its 4 thiner wires, vs the Brise’s 8W heavier and stiffer construction. The Shirogane is available also as a 4W version, which would be far thinner and perhaps more equally matched comfort wise, though the price tag is still much higher and out of reach for many/most. There are also quite a few great pure silver cables out there in the Grand price bracket, like the Cleopatra (II), or the widely regarded Eletech Plato, both of which I didn’t get a chance to hear yet. DH Cables makes a pure silver as well. Honestly I avoided such cables for fear of them being too “silver” sounding, but now I see that I have probably been missing out. I will make an effort to check out more of these in the future, perhaps I’m even becoming a Pure Silver guy!























CONCLUSION:

My time with the Grand has even very enjoyable, and I can’t think of a better way to test and review a cable than being stuck with it, and only it, for two months on the road. I especially enjoyed it in airports, where its light weight and tight 2 pin connectors kept me feeling safe and secure while I head-bumped my way through terminals and shuttle buses. I did quite some AB testing before I left, and again when I got home, but the best time I spent with it was just enjoying tunes along the way. I’m an event/documentary photographer, and each day on tour I can spend 3-8 hours on my computer editing and processing. Precious time to melt into my music, to step away -literally- from all the noise and crazy energy, retreating into my hotel room or bed in some dorm, to just work and be inspired. The Grand succeeded at this in spades, and I didn’t notice anything missing or lacking. I just enjoyed the music. Funny enough, when I got home the first thing I did (after spending a lot of time with my wife and son) was to grab my Summit-Fi gear and get my mind blown. And it was glorious, and yes there was a difference, and I did appreciate it. But what crept in a bit at a time was the little things I wish I could change, a bit more this, a bit less that etc. Just goes to show that the more performance you go for, the harder it is to be perfect. Comparing all the other TOTL cables I have heard, and I’ve heard many, I could now say something rather confidently. For the money, the Grand performs far above its price point and is a wonderfully enjoyable listen. Good detail, a stage with 3D presentation, a smooth and very musical cable for a lot less.

I’m not saying that the Grand will replace my big boys, or that it’s perfect, but it has more than proved its worth and secured a spot for itself in my extremely curated collection. My permanent travel cable maybe, or perhaps staying glued to my A18t. A great option for those wanting great top tier performance for much less. It’s very hard to complain or find fault, it’s a fabulous cable and super “affordable” from where I am sitting. Well done Konstantin, well done indeed!

Thanks for reading my friends!

If you want one of these for yourself you can order it directly here.

Greetings dear Head-fiers and welcome to my review of the fabled PWAudio Orpheus. There is a huge amount of hype around this cable for two reasons; one is the incredible sonic performance, the other is the price. I can attest that yes, it is in fact one of the most incredible cables I have ever heard, perhaps even the most so if you are a copper signature fan. But that’s painting the Orphy into a corner, it is far more than just a copper cable. Its ability to present insane amounts of detail and resolution while also remaining ridiculously musical and natural is something I have yet to hear another cable do. To me it is redefining physics as I know it, breakneck abilities in a smooth and expansive sound that needs to be heard to believe. This review has taken me longer than others, not because it’s hard to write, but because the Orphy sits so close to my heart. I remember the first time I plugged it in - I was using the Traillii at the time- and I had never heard anything like it in my life. Stage stretching to next week, crazy amounts of detail and a jet-pitch-ultra black background making microdetails and tiny whispers fly around me like a sonic storm of butterflies and golden whispers. It was HUGE, and I was blown away. Honestly, I have yet to hear anything that truly rivals it. Yes there are some other cables that are mind-blowing, we have never had such a plethora of goodies at our disposal. But the Orphy’s magic blend of musicality, emotion, analog sweetness and detail stands alone, in my opinion at least. Strangely, I haven’t read a full length review of the Orpheus, loads of impressions and hype, but nothing that goes into full detail. Perhaps no-one wanted to take it out of their ears long enough to write about it! So I am happy to be reviewing it myself now, to be an Orphy owner myself, having spent 100s of hours devouring its lushness and intoxicating sonics, and sharing that with you all. Now, the second hype - is the price, and for that I have no comment. I can hear the hecklers already ripping this review to pieces, shouting from the rooftops that no-one in their right mind should pay this much for a cable.You may be right. And it is true, the price is ludicrous indeed. This is however a review of how this legend cables sounds, not a debate of prices, worth and diminishing returns. This is a review for people who want it all, who wish to ride the wave to the very cusp of insanity and perfection, letting both toes skim the water on either side. If you think cables are snake oil or a useless upgrade, for all of our sakes, just stop reading. This is true summit-fi, the peak, quite possibly the best cable ever made with a price tag to match. So, to keep things on track this review will focus on SONICS, ERGO, SYNERGY and COMPARISONS ONLY. No need to spend pages discussing at length the merits of a cable that costs as much as a good used car. So I won’t. This will be about sound, feel, emotion, and the ocean of pleasure and tickling happiness I find myself in whenever I use it. It’s crazy good, I’m not shy in saying so, so let’s get into it.





The Preamble - I bought the Orphy myself from MusicTeck, though I did receive a discount in exchange for review. As usual, nothing was required of me other than to present my impressions and findings to the community in an honest and open way. I review because I enjoy it, I love it really, and I only review things that interest me. I’m an audiophile in the most extreme sort of way, and cables are something I love to test, review, and own if I love it enough. For the comparison section I have reviewed many of the cables included in this review before, so I really recommend reading those reviews if you’re really serious about TOTL cables. You can find them here. Do remember that some of these reviews were months or years ago, memories fade, and sometimes we feel a bit different about something the 2nd, 3rd or 11th time we hear it. So in keeping as transparent as possible I will offer my most current findings, along with impressions and memories of past cable reviews based on my in-depth notes. I will be comparing the Orpheus to the other top dogs, since that’s what would interest, and educate you all the most I assume. Included in this review I will compare the Orpheus, 1950s Shielding, First Times Shielding, and Brise Yatano 8W. For testing I used my main squeeze Jewel as a baseline for reference, and then a plethora of others including Storm, Mentor, Mason FS, Elysian X and Annihalator, FF Maestro, 64A 18t, Noir and Blanc and the Fir RN6. For DAPs I used my current favs: the LP6 Ti AE and Sony 1ZM2, as well as extended time with the SP3000, DX300MAX, P6 Pro, and (a while back) the Cayin N8ii. Before people say I am trying to convince them to sell a kidney or skip several years of their kids’ birthday presents for the Orphy, I am absolutely, emphatically, not saying anything off the kind. This is only a cable, and there are other great cables for a lot less. The Orphy is for those that really, really care, who have the income or addiction to support such a grandiose purchase, and don’t need to miss rent or live off Ramen for months to make it happen. Keep the G.A.S. in check here friends

If you do decide to get one for yourself, I cannot recommend Andrew at MusicTeck more. He's the best in the business, and a nicer and more accommodating guy you will not find. I receive absolutely nothing for this link, just want to share my good experiences. You can get yours here. (https://shop.musicteck.com/products/pwaudio-orpheus-with-shielding)






ERGO, PACKAGING AND AESTHETICS - The Orphy is not a small or light cable. It’s a python wrapped in blue and black nylon that brings as much weight and girth sonically as it does physically. It is a beast in all senses of the word. I personally really like how it looks. Black wrapped nylon shielding makes up the bottom half up to the Y split, brilliant deep blue paracord wrap on the wires up to the ears. PW satin black hardware all the way, simple, clean and visually quite appealing to those that prefer a more understand look. No shiny bare wires, no gleam, no chrome or fancy stuff in any way. It’s all covered up, like a prototype super car that doesn’t want to give away its secrets. If it didn’t have such an imposing look one might not even notice it on the subway, but really there’s no way not to look at it. It screams wow, even if that scream is under your breath and more of a woah… what is that?!?!? I know I might be in the minority here, but I think it’s one of the most beautiful cables made, it’s just so cool. Batman murdered out dark madness with that streak of midnight blue flare to give it just enough personally to crawl out of the secret sauce from whence it came.

In use the Orphy for me is quite comfortable. It is heavy, thick and somewhat cumbersome at first but you do get used to it. I use mine on the subway and trams, in the plane, on my couch, at my desk, and on long walks in the park, never bothers me really. That doesn’t mean it’s not heavy, but it is for lack of a better word, comfy for what it is. It is a bit stiff when brand new, but it softens quite a bit and when you use it for a month or so it is very comfortable when the nylon breaks in. Same goes for curling it up, harder when new but gets pretty tight when it softens. I never had a problem fitting it into any case I have, as long as you do it slowly, and carefully. To be clear, compared to “normal” size cables it’s huge and that should be known from the get-go. The weight takes some getting used to, but honestly I now feel weird wearing thinner cables like something is missing, the feeling of girth, quality and robustness just isn’t there. I think the same could be said for big watches, they feel huge on the first day, and then they sort of disappear and you never notice them again.

For such a crazy expensive cable the packaging is relatively basic and simple. I never really get into the packaging since I never use it or give it the slightest glance after I take the cable out. But, all told the Orphy comes in a small somewhat ornate black box that opens up like a jewelry case with a little golden clasp, revealing like a pearl, the traditional PWAudio black milled aluminum box all PW cables come with. The outer box has some cool textural pattern work on it, with the Orpheus logo in shiny silver. I personally don’t know anyone that displays their cables in a fancy box, but I am sure they are out there. This is nothing like the gorgeous thematic designs of Eletech, or the insanely priced Effect Audio Centurion box. You buy a cable, you get a cable. That’s just fine with me, some may have other points of view on this, I personally don’t care. Moving on to the good stuff!






SOUND - This is the part that gets me really excited. While we do gaze at our gear in glee, admiring its design, lusting after the way it makes us feel, in the end we (hopefully) spend most of our time actually listening to it. So how does it sound? The Orphy is simply stunning. Hyperbole meant, this another level entirely over basically everything else. It breaks the mold for copper, or really any material for that matter, resulting in a cascading symphony of gorgeously detailed and insanely emotional music. It takes my breath away, it really does. If I count the number of times I cried while listening to music in recent years on portable audio, the Orphy was there 96% of the time. It does something nothing else does, I honestly don’t know exactly how to explain it. It’s like this immense soundscape all around you, everything is perfectly placed and extremely layered and textured, instruments brimming with intensity or subtle gentle flurry, all the while wisps of golden micro details float and pluck all around you. It’s glorious. But the way it does all that, that’s what makes it special. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, nothing quite sounds like the Orphy. There are some that are close, quite close even, some with different tunings and flavors, mixtures of exotic materials and cutting edge tech, but nothing stands quite as tall when it comes down to true analog sound and falling helplessly into the velvety blanket of pure immersion.

When you first plug in you are greeted by the most immense stage you’ve ever heard. It’s huge, gargantuan. Yes, in the world of full size headphones IEMs can’t hold a torch to the stage of open backs, but this is the largest stage I have ever heard with portable gear and IEMs. With the SP3000 or MAX it’s crazy big, stretching out to the sides and around behind you in a way I didn’t think was possible. With the 1ZM2 and LP6 AE it keeps the instruments closer but stretches the stage so wide I can hear actually space in-between the snare hit and its reverb bouncing off the studio wall, then back again. Really. Reminds me of listening to speakers six feet apart and slightly toed in, everything just wraps around you while keeping voices and featured instruments right in front of you, like a solo performance just for you. It isn’t the tallest stage out there, but depth and width are indeed extreme and awe inspiring. There is so much space and air between the layers I feel like can see through them, nothing ever crowded or lacking definition. I was listening to Kandace Springs’ Indigo while writing this, there’s this percussive ticking so far behind my head that I actually turned around to see who was behind me. Her voice was captivating, sitting right above my head and slightly further back, giving her space to float and breathe without being to intimate or too far away. Deep kick drums, shaker way off to the left, claps on the right, I can hear at least 5 unison backup vocals clearly enough to pick out which is her, and which is the slightly different voice of her producer. All while being so incredibly musical I feel she’s singing just to me. Mind blown.

EDM is wild with this size stage too, polished well mastered electronic music is freakishly enjoyable. The bass is huge and impactful, then all the synths and digital instruments throb and pulse like you’re physically swept away with all that is happening between your ears. Then the rain of space and reverbs drift off in all directions to the point I can’t tell where they end. Phaser sounds and pads are immense and stretch out and above you like rain and fog. Instruments sound and feel real. The nice thing is the stage isn’t wide for wide’s sake. I never feel like I am too far away, or that things have become stretched past the realm of realistic or natural. Heavy guitars are panned way off to the sides, but they never lose their impact or feel stretched out. Jazz I can hear where in the room the musicians were sitting, but it sounds very natural. Yo-Yo Ma or Brad Mehldau solos feel like you’re sitting inside a 1000 year old concert hall, and you’re alone on the stage with them. Rock and funk have impact, space and grit when called for, keeping that funky baseline tight and deep. It’s screaming anthems, soft timbre, ultra deep and wide, and everything in between.

If you have never heard shielding cables, it’s hard to fully describe how back the background is, or what that really means to a listener. Imagine sitting in a sensory deprivation chamber with your eyes closed, when a voice starts singing in your ear. You didn’t hear them come in, it just began, coming out of the blackness. As more instruments come in you notice the little things, like the bassist’s fingers sliding up the gut strings, or the click as the drummer turns his snare on after a particularly quiet vocal solo. The trumpet player off to your right breathes heavily before putting the horn to his mouth, his fingers work the keys in anticipation of his first notes. The keyboards come in with a pad that swirls a mixture of Rhodes and B3, and and you can clearly hear that small instance when he takes his foot off the sustain pedal to change chords. Vocalists breathing, the reverb off the hi-hats. The back background makes all these little details more audible, removing the “noise” and leaving more space for information, texture and detail. Other companies do shielding as well, but none (with the exception of Brise which is even better) offer this kind of sonic transparency and blackness. Paired with the SP3000 which has an extremely black background already was a surreal experience. Add the Tsuranagi and… it’s hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it.





In terms of tuning the Orphy is on the smoother side, so don’t expect ultra sharp transients and super sparkling highs. It’s more analog, filled with goodness and musicality. At the same time it’s one of the most technically capable cables known to man. That’s it’s secret, you don’t have to choose technical or musical, it’s the whole enchilada here. It can bite hard with guttural heavy guitars, make female and male vocals sound full and clear, earth-shattering bass or the thwack or a drum solo, all while never getting into analytic territory. Ultra layered electronic music is especially impressive. The Orphy is definitely on the warm side, so that needs to be taken into account when pairing. It’s not crazy warm, but I did find that it imparted more of its magic with a more neutral source, or more reference IEMs. I love it with the Sony M2, but I heard more “Orphy-ness” with the SP3000, N8ii or MAX simply because it’s not doubling up on warm/smooth/analog, and so I notice it more. Bass is a bit over neutral, and there is a mid bass bump, so while with the LP6 AE it’s stunning, ridiculous good, it can occasionally feel like a bit too much of a good thing, overly analog and thick there. This of course comes down to preferences too. I’m more of a reference guy, but for an uber musical setup the Sony M2 + Orphy + FitEar DC Ti is amazing. Or P6 Pro and Traillii. Or pair it with the Storm, MAX and Tsuranagi to have your mind exploded all over the carpet (This was one of the craziest experiences I have ever had with audio). Or bring in the AE with Tsuranagi and UM Mason FS, I cannot begin to explain how punchy, dynamic, percussive and guttural that combo is. On the whole the Orphy is more analog than modern, less sparkle and more smooth, slightly slower bass but still punchy and extremely controlled, and the best mids I have ever heard. Lots of air but less shine up top. A slight emphasis on mid bass, but also reaching as deep as called for. If you want modern try the Centurion, Ode To Laura, Code 51, or Nightjar Mira for a faster paced sound. For amazing texture and the punchiest bass I have ever heard try the Ode To Laura, which coincidently has more sparkle and treble energy which some may surely prefer. The Brise sits somehow in the middle, bringing the gap between old school copper and modern tuning. I still find the Orphy more detailed than all of them, especially in the mids, but its tuning is different. I wish to reiterate, Orphy is magic because it accomplishes something no other cable seems to be able to do: provide summit-fi details and staging while staying smooth and analog. But that does come as a tradeoff, for IEMs and DAPs that are warm, very smooth, or mid bass heavy you can have some issues with synergy that may detract from the magic.







I decided that in the Bass-Mid-Treble section I would also do the comparisons at the same time. No need to have a second section at the end, since many are mostly concerned with how it compares or differs from the other TOTLs out there. As I said before, I have compared the Orphy to many TOTL cables in reviews lately which I would recommend you to read if you’re actually thinking of taking the plunge on this beast.

PW 50’s Shielding: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/pwaudio-1950s-shielding.26470/reviews#review-30760

PW FTS: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/pwaudio-first-times-shielding.26085/reviews#review-29302

Eletech OTL: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/eletech-ode-to-laura.26167/reviews#review-29543


BASS - Orphy has fantastic bass. It goes deep, has great texture and rumble with a longer decay. The stage of the Orphy is huge and this extends to the low end as well, keeping the bass all around you instead of right next to you. For electronic music this is amazing, especially with Fir Kinetic Bass, it’s like sitting at the club and feeling the bass in your chest. Speaking of feeling, I notice that Orphy bass errs slightly on the side of feel and less texture or punch. It is on the slower side, vs the punchy fast bass of others, and that means it can be felt sometimes more than heard. But that’s not to say it’s lackluster or missing punch, it is exceedingly well controlled and punchy, I am simply splitting hairs here, and only do I notice when doing A/B tests for hours. It does have a slight mid-bass bump which can add a great sense of weight and power, providing that oomph and punch a more linear cable like Brise 8W or FTS would be missing on some level. It depends on how you like your bass, for me it was track dependent for what I preferred. All IEMs I tried the bass was highly improved, with better control, punch, reach and texture. Overall, keeping with the theme, the Orphy is more analog and relaxed vs others here, and that comes down to IEM pairing as well. If bass is your primary concern the Orphy is fabulous, but I wouldn’t say it necessarily has the best bass among this group. If you prefer a slower DD like attack vs a more punchy modern sound, with a tad of extra meat in the mid bass then Orphy is king. It is solid, deep, rumbly and full of flavor. OTL more punch and slam, and more texture - it just might be the most textured and punchy bass I have ever heard, amazing really. The Brise 8W also has amazing reach and amazing texture, punchy and clean, it’s probably my favorite bass of the bunch. The Brise has more of a sub-bass feature over the Orphy’s mid bass punch, and therefor is more linear overall. FTS also has a sub-bass feature and is quite fast and punchy, though I felt it lacked a bit in texture. 50s Shielding has super punchy bass that has great texture, thought doesn’t reach quite as deep as Brise or FTS. They all have amazing bass, it really comes down to how you prefer your bottom end and you honestly can’t go wrong with any of them. This is surely summit-fi all around, and we’re splitting hairs on an atomic level.


In order of punchiest bass: OTL - Brise 8W - FTS - 50s Shielding - Orpheus

In order of reach (or sub bass) : Brise 8W - FTS - Orphy - OTL/50s Shielding

In order of texture: Brise 8W/OTL - 50s Shielding/FTS/Orpheus

In order of bigness and perceived weight: Orpheus - Brise 8W/OTL/FTS/50S






MIDS - Here is where the Orphy steals the show in my opinion, followed closely by the Brise 8W though they are tuned differently. Here is where the insane level of details, texture, stage spread and magic make the Orphy what it is. If you’re a big mids fan, like I am, there is nothing quite like it. Due also to the jet black background, details just jump out at you from space, faint clicks and pops are clearly discernible and clear, and nowhere is this heard and felt like in this mids. I would give Orphy the award for the most defined, resolving and expressive mids of any cable I have heard, hands down. They are somehow razor sharp yet smooth and natural. Lip licking, gentle breathing, the chair in the studio creaking, snare hits, guitar plucks, all there mixed into the musical atmosphere, giving one of the most musical and enjoyable presentations I have ever heard. The stage size is its biggest in the mids, stretching waaay off to the sides, panning guitars, backup voices, crash, splash and keyboard pads wide leaving a nice big space for the vocals, lead guitar, or whatever is being featured to have all the room it needs to shine. It reminds me of listening to big studio monitors, where you can really hear everything in a treated-room like environment; all the fades, the pans, that extra grit you added to the guitars, those minute swishes and atmospherics all dance around you instead of stuck in the middle. Reminder that all this in superbly analog, smooth and musical, not overly harsh or overly sharpened to give some fake feeling of extra bite. That in itself is the biggest takeaway from the Orphy for me, just how detailed it is, but never once does it make you feel like something has been overcooked to get you there. I remember when I was demoing the The Storm -which is the world’s best reference IEM imho - It was plain ridiculous with the Orphy, it made my jaw drop honestly. I was speechless and could only continue listening for lack of power to do anything else. It retained its reference tuning, but became sensationally musical with quite noticeably upgraded resolution and technical abilities. That’s the Orphy magic; relaxed and effortless in a crazy resolving way. It does come at a slight cost though, and that’s texture. Because the Orphy is quite smooth, it doesn’t have as much texture (and grit) as other cables. You hear everything, but there is a bit of smoothness, though I hesitate to say so since it might make people think it’s glossed over. It’s not. The mids are most certainly not overly smooth, but the rest of spectrum could be called somewhat smooth and that could potentially bother some if they like things extra energetic all over. Orphy does have a slight upper mid emphasis, not even a peak, more of a soft roll up or ramp in the 2-4k region. I didn’t even notice it immediately. It does add a touch of extra bite and sounds even with the rest of the FR, but sometimes with Jewel or other IEMs that have some pinna gain there, occasionally I heard vocals having a slight touch of shouty-ness to them. This could have been also from the DAP pairing, The LP6 AE has a touch more energy there too, so all three together is what I was probably hearing.

Comparing, Brise Yatano 8W is next in line for mid quality and resolution. Some might even prefer it’s more neutral tuning, and slightly less smooth vibe. The Brise is definitely still a copper cable, transients are smooth and balanced, thought I find it a bit faster and more energetic compared to the Orphy. Some of the smoothness the Orphy brings is exchanged with similar resolution but a punchier and faster presentation not lacking in musicality. On a pure resolution level the Orphy mids are more detailed, but not by much. The Brise stage width is more intimate, keeping instruments in the center, similarly to the 50s Shielding, and letting the extra space, air, reverb and tiny details out to the sides. The Brise stage is quite large and spherical, just not as wide. In the mids the Orphy is more open, which could also be contributing to the slight increase of conceived detail. The layering and placement of Orphy is insane, but Brise is equally good albeit in a smaller space. Mids are fantastic on the Brise, and it is quite linear so for those that prefer less warmth and overtly analog vibes. 50s Shielding is also very similar to the 8W, mids are fabulous and more linear, clear without the warmth of analog coloration. The Brise is more modern sounding while the 50S is more old school. Both place the mids more forward while the Orphy steps them back a bit and stretches them out. I would say the Brise has slightly more details and resolution to the 50S but they are very similar vibe-wise. The OTL has faster and sharper transients, resulting in a more modern twist to the pure copper sound. It has also the most texture in the lower mids, but that fades away in the mids and upper midrange with the OTL’s signature “wispy” and “ethereal” vibe there. Lower mids were fabulous, but the higher up I went, I found them less natural and realistic, but I am very reference when it comes to my mids. OTL is also very detailed in the mids, they are definitely the most crisp and energetic of the bunch and for many that might seal the deal right there. FTS is more linear than Orphy, but more colored and warm compared to the linear and neutral Brise. The FTS holds the spot in-between the Brise and the OTL, with faster and crisper transients but retains the PW copper sound with a bit of warmth and weight. FTS mids are very detailed, though less modern than OTL or Brise.

Speaking about synergy, the Orphy really sounds great with just about anything. But of course some IEMs benefit more from the Orphy’s style, especially the note weight it adds. In general more neutral IEMs have more perceived ‘Orphy vibe’, just since it adds something that might not be there to start with. If you have a warm and fat IEM you will still hear the benefits, but they will be more about control, resolution, and abilities rather than transforming the IEM’s persona. Something like the Traillii was a shocking upgrade, thickening up the mids and doubling down on the resolution. Storm is a very neutral technical monster, and Orphy made it even more technically capable while adding in a dose of weight, musicality and personality that was well enjoyed by all who heard it during my testing meetup. For fatty IEMs like the Trifecta I could imagine things getting a bit overly thick. Mason FS while being on the thicker side did not get overly saturated or weighted down for my tastes, it was actually an amazing combo. Maestro was also great, keeping its sparkle in check, and adding a bit more power and weight to the mids, evening out the FR for me. If you like things sharper/brighter you should know, starting with a sharp/bright IEM the Orphy will round it off a tad, while not sacrificing resolution. Sharp/bright, ethereal, and/or thinner IEMs benefit greatly from Orphy’s softer side if you want to tame them down a tad without sacrificing technicals. Or double it up and go to warm town for some of the most musical and enveloping listens of your life. While some things about the Orphy might not work for everyone, one things is clear: For the best mids you’ve ever heard, the Orphy is King.


In order of resolution in mids: Orphy - Brise 8W - FTS/50S/OTL

In order of mids quality (naturalness and realism): Orphy/Brise 8W - 50S/FTS - OTL

In order of note weight: Orphy - Brise/50S - FTS - OTL

In order of transient speed and energy: OTL - FTS - Brise 8W - 50S - Orphy

In order of analog/warmth/smoothness: Orphy - 50S - FTS - Brise 8W - OTL






TREBLE - Here is where the Orphy can be divisive. The Orphy has a very analog top end, some would even call it rolled off, and that can be either a good or bad thing depending on how you like your treble, and what IEM/DAP you started with. Orphy has a very airy top end, lots of detail and space, just not as much sparkle or extension as others. Things are smooth and relaxed, which can subdue a bit of the extra energy that can make me uncomfortable or overly sensitive with some IEMs. I personally find this a big positive in such scenarios, though many might not and feel it is taking too much away. If you like a lot of sparkle or treble energy this is NOT your cable. Others do that far better, that’s just not the Orphy vibe at all. This has all to do with pairing, since IEM treble presentations vary greatly. There isn’t less treble, it’s simply presented in a different way, more relaxed. With most IEMs I find the treble to be gorgeous, well controlled and nicely airy and spacious. All that black background and fine microdetails make their way to the high end, and the extreme resolution mixed with extreme musicality are prevalent and in abundance. The treble just isn’t the star of the show for sparkle heads, but for most I think they will love the high end presentation. I don’t want to paint a picture of a super rolled off non expressive high end, that’s not it at all - it’s just softened and more relaxed up top, effortless and musical rather than stunted. My first experience with Orphy was with Traillii, which for me has a bit of an overabundance in sparkle sometimes. The Orphy kept the air and space, all that incredible magic sparkle, just softened the edges a tad and made it even more effortless and lovely. That is such an incredible combo, Orphy and Traillii is legendary. I still see it in many people’s HF signatures, timeless indeed. Same with Mentor, I didn’t feel like the top end was overly rolled off, just made more relaxed and musical rather than sharp - even though the technical levels are off the charts. Mentor can have a bit of a glare sometimes, not so with the Orphy. Storm’s extreme resolution was kept in check and a very natural and extremely enjoyable high was the result. I remember when I was demoing it, everyone was rather astonished how great the treble was. Also RN6 and Maestro had a lust-worthy high end with the Orpheus. However, if your IEMs have a rather subdued high end like the Jewel, then it can border on too much roll-off in certain cases, it again really depends on how you like it. Of course that is DAP dependent too, I found Jewel + Orphy + N8ii to be quite well balanced, while others found N8ii too bright in different setups. The same paired with the AE or even P6 Pro just might be too much for some that prefer an enthusiastic and energetic top end.

The one thing that actually could detract some people’s enjoyment is that lack of vertical extension. Orphy stage is huge and enveloping, but it is wider and deeper than it is tall. Again there’s that big studio monitor stereo effect, where the whole room is just swallowing you whole into a decadently lush satin filled room. But the ceiling isn’t endless like the OTL, which seemingly has no end in vertical expansion - it’s wild. Analog, lush, sweet and effortless treble, while remaining amazingly detailed but never sharp or overly bright. If you want more extension or sparkle then Brise 8W, FTS, OTL or even 50S would serve that particular area better. OTL is without a doubt the brightest of the bunch, with plenty of sparkle and treble energy, though it accomplishes this in a very natural and gorgeous way. I hesitate to call the OTL bright, because it’s not, but in the company of the cables I am reviewing here it certainly holds the flame for enjoyable and energetic treble energy. Lower treble is thinner and more airy vs the fuller and weightier high end of Orphy. That’s one of the things I personally prefer, an even and natural note weight from top to bottom, keeping the whole FR sounding natural and realistic. The Brise has that too, wonderfully extended treble, more sparkle and crispness comparatively, but it is also very natural with great note weight and realism. I would say I probably prefer the top end of the Brise over the Orphy if I was forced to choose, but that’s a really hard call. Both the Orphy and Brise 8W have a soft emphasis in the upper mids/lower treble region. Orphy’s is in the upper mids, heard with guitars, voices and instruments - giving a sense of extra clarity without adding any bite. The Brise emphasis is slightly higher up, in the lower treble and this does add a bit of bite which can be amazing for some kinds of music. I found it could also a bit too much with some pairings, right in the 6k region. Like the Mason FS, which has an emphasis there, heavy music or splashy trashy stuff was mildly distracting, though I have a friend who prefers it for exactly that reason. I won’t make a blanket statement about it, just want to mention it. Brise treble sounds just a tad more modern vs Orphy or FTS, reminding me of hybrid vs a pure copper, but never in a harsh or crispy way at all. PW holds the old school vibe, Brise is decidedly more Hi-Fi and modern refined. FTS has a nice even and neutral top end, airy with nice sparkle. It also has a small peak in the lower treble, giving some extra bite, though in very good taste. FTS sounds more traditional copper up top, with a bit of extra pizzaz, many will love this. Brise and FTS are quite similar in the top end. The 50S is more like Orphy with a slight roll off, but it is less “extreme” and has more sparkle and energy there. Weight is similarly even, a very nice top end that’s airy and effortless while remaining very highly resolving in the copper vibe. OTL has the clearest and most pronounced treble, sharper and cleaner transients, also more modern sounding over all the rest. I personally found the top end a bit bright for my tastes, but I am famously sensitive there so keep that in mind. For pure treble abilities and finesse the OTL takes the cake, that vertical expansion blows my mind.

Speaking of the Orphy, because of that analog vibe, the perceived stage size in the highs isn’t super tall, which also makes the mid stretch even more apparent. Those that find fault in the Orphy after owning it usually say that the lack of treble extension is to blame, and I can totally understand that. But those that do find fault are usually hard pressed to find anything else to complain about, and the extension lack is certainly minor and not a deal breaker for me, or for the myriad others that also find the Orphy to be the best cable ever made.


In order of treble quantity: OTL - FTS - Brise 8W - 50S - Orphy

In order of treble quality: Brise/OTL - FTS - 50S/Orphy

In order of treble extension: OTL - FTS/Brise 8W - 50S - Orphy

In order of note weight in treble: Orphy/Brise 8W/50S - FTS - OTL









STAGE - For the last few hundred words I have been waxing poetic about the stage of the Orpheus. I believe that’s justified, it simply has the most staggering stage of any cable I have ever heard. Now stage size is highly subjective, so this all comes down to personal preference, and what you think stage size actually means. I went into great lengths to explain the stage sizes of these cables in my previous reviews so I will summarize them again.

Stage size is a bit of a loaded term, and can be quite dependent on a person’s feelings about what space really is. Some cables push super wide and stretch the imagination of how big a mix can be. Others are more spherical and round, expanding up and down just as much as wide and deep. The widest stage I have heard is the Orpheus, northing quite compares to how big and spacious it is, especially in the midrange. Guitars sound like they are panned extra far out, giving your music this sense of grandiosity and epic-ness. The 50S and Brise 8W have large stages, but they keep the instruments a bit closer and more intimate and instead stretches the reverb and tiny details further out of your head, which is a bit more like how one would hear things live. Vocals are placed right above your head in the center, mids like guitars and drums fill out the space around you like you’re sitting inside the band rather than a few seats back. One might call them more intimate, but I feel that is missing the point, this isn’t about width, it’s about the shape of the space as well. The Orphy pushes mids back out a tad giving more space and air, but perhaps losing a touch in engagement. FTS has a slightly narrower stage, and not as deep as Orpheus, but on par in "size" to the others mentioned here. OTL has a very tall stage but less in the depth and width department, and it thins out as things get higher resulting in less weight to the notes. This could also be why it feels almost endless in the stage at the top end, it just goes off to infinity.

If I had to try and describe the stages in terms of physical dimensions I would say this:

-The Orpheus would be like an oval, hugely circular, but with the midrange stretching out at the widest edges.

- 50S and Brise 8W would be a circle, it all seems to start at the center and float outwards at even lengths resulting in a lovely circular stage in all directions.

- FTS would be a narrower oval, with the high and low end stretching a bit further but keeping the mids more intimate.

- OTL would be a reverse pyramid, the high end having the largest and most space and getting smaller and more intimate as it goes downwards. Note weight would be the opposite, where the low end is the most thick, and it gets thinner and leaner as it goes up.







ERGO - Ergo is a sort of no contest for me, there are very clear winners here. This is a personal thing of course, but I think that 99% of you will agree. OTL mops the floor with the others here, it’s far more comfortable, supple, bendable, lighter and generally easier on the ears. Not even close. Next would be 50S, it is a shielded cable but its thiner wires means the entire package is lighter and thinner than its bigger PW brethren. Wear on the ears is also better, since the size of the cable on your ears is physically smaller. Orphy and FTS are identical in ergo, in fact the only way to tell them apart is to look closely - Orphy is dark midnight blue and FTS is more of a steel blue. They are both heavy, thick and relatively cumbersome to use for the uninitiated. The wires are a bit stiff with the nylon sheathing, but after they break in quite soft and comfy. I’ve said it before, once you get used to the weight you won’t even notice it, and the SQ is totally worth it in this reviewer’s humble opinion. I find the shielding at the bottom half to give me a sense of security also, the wires are very protected and I don’t have to worry about bumping the cable around as I do my long walks and get it and out of trams, planes, trains etc. That leaves the Brise 8W. I have not been shy in the past about my feelings about ergo and general fit/feel with the Brise stuff. It is extremely heavy, heavier than Orphy even, and that is felt. It would be less noticeable if the cable wasn’t so stiff and unwieldy, it has this slightly rubbery feel to it that I never fell in love with. You can use their cable softener spray and that did indeed make it softer, but also a bit more slippery. Also, they use a ton of shrink wrap all over the connectors, and the 2 pins have super stiff titanium memory that won’t bend enough to have a tight fit around your ears. All that said, after longer session I found the ear hooks actually made the IEMs more comfy on the ear, since it kind of floats above your ear removing the pressure. I was using customs, but I can imagine that Universals could be tugged on enough to cause seal problems for some. I don’t mean to harp on the Brise ergo, it’s not terrible, it’s simply not great, or truly comfortable. Their whole thing is sonics above everything else, and for that they have succeeded in spades. I know many have written to me that they found it fine after some time, and I believe that. And honestly, the sonics are so incredible that for many it just might be worth the potential discomfort. I was dissuaded enough to let go of mine, but I think about trying it again all the time, so that’s something. It really sounds good enough to suffer a bit. For anyone not paying attention, Brise released a new cable called Silver Concept not long ago, and it has a brand new PVC that is suuuper soft and comfy. So there that too


CONCLUSION - And so, after all that, we arrive at the end dear readers. When I first was asked to review the Orphy I was a bit hesitant, simply because there isn’t a more decisive piece of gear that I know of, where most of that comes down to the insane price. I didn’t want to be in a position where I was seen to defend said price, or to somehow convince people to sell their kidneys for such a mythic object. I remember the same when the Traillii was announced, people lost their minds, to the point that many were put off so much they didn’t even want to try it based on principle. But, as more and more heard it, it became evident that it was something very special, and definitely worth trying for yourself, if only to hear what all the hubbub was about. In many ways the Orphy and Traillii are sonic siblings. They both have concept smashing vast stages, amazing levels of detail while remaining incredibly musical. They are both also on the smoother side, and for that reason some might not like it. If you’re that kind of person I would not recommend the Orphy, but for a truly unique and breathtaking experience plug the Orphy into the Traillii and bask in sonic bliss. Or Mentor, Odin, Ragnar, Jewel or Storm. The magic of the Orpheus is in it’s ability to smash concepts of what a cable can do, all while being smooth, musical, and intensely enjoyable without a shred of artificial EQ’ing, overly cooked transients, or brightness to achieve higher levels of resolution. It is thick, it is heavy. It adds weight to the sound, thickens things up a bit, smoothing out some peaks while created a few rolling hills of its own. It’s not neutral, it’s not lean, it’s unapologetically warm and glorious. It doesn’t work perfectly with everything, but when it does, it is untouchable. The best cable you can buy, with a price tag to match.

For those with absolute summit-fi gear the Orphy could be that final step to 100%. That perfect balance of resolution and mojo, dynamics and expressiveness, all with an effortless ability to be musical and articulate. If you crave an analog and extremely resulting experience that sort of redefines what a cable can do, the Orphy is just that. I said I wouldn’t mention price, but I just want to add something carefully camouflaged as advice and not cost commentary. For about half the price of Orphy you can buy the other cables mentioned here, and they do have parts that could be conceived as better. The 50S, which I also own, is a fantastic choice. Its similar tuning crown it the title of “baby Orpheus”. The Brise is fantastic, and some just might prefer it over the colored Orphy. FTS and OTL are both stunning cables in their own right. They all reach at least 90% of the Orphy’s abilities for sure. Some would say that’s close enough, and for those I strongly suggest buying one of the others mentioned here, they are amazing cablea. But that last 10% haunt my dreams, as it does for many of you I presume. That’s why we’re here, to chase that final few percent - that’s probably why you’re reading this now. It’s hard to go back to others once you’ve heard the grandiosity that is the Orpheus. The magic. The jaw dropping technicalities dipping with analog music goodness that is oh so divine. It’s not without its caveats, nothing is perfect. But in a world of insane prices and even more insane expectations, the Orphy stands alone, and is as close to perfection as I have ever heard. Only you can decide if you want to take that extra step, but I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Greetings dear audiophiles, and welcome to my review of the Brise Tsuranagi portable amplifier. I am extremely excited to share my impressions and experiences with you all - this amazing little box is stellar. Big things do indeed come in small packages! Sneak peek, a teaser before we get to the end you ask? I’m in love, this amp is incredible. Boom, full stop, GOAT beyond words. But more on that later. For those of you not in the know, Brise is a Japanese company who have been around for quite some time, but have become much more popular in the west over the past year or so. Somehow they flew under the radar for many, but now the cat is out of the bag and everyone is scrambling to get anything with Brise written on it. This is a full borne A+ hype fever that seems to be infecting audiophiles everywhere. I understand why, their attention to detail and unflinching sonics are deservedly impressive. Everything is discrete utilitarian only and matte black, it’s nice to see an audio brand not focusing on splashy shiny stuff for a change. The Brise philosophy seems to be sonics above all else, even scrimping on cosmetics and usability in the relentless pursuit of audio perfection. Their gear is usually back-ordered for months, they are a small operation so you’ll be paying upfront and waiting. The very well reviewed Yatono Ultimate 8 Wire cable is a good example of this - it is one of the best sounding cables I have ever heard, but the ergo and comfort leave a lot to be desired for many - divisive for sure. The Tsuranagi is their first foray into amplifiers, supposedly born from needing an amp in house for testing cables and sussing out problems. It was so good they decided to sell it, much to all our benefit. Remember that relentless pursuit of perfection? See a need, fill a need, sometimes the results are better than anything you’ve ever heard. Brise also makes a bunch of Hi-Fi 2-channel audio products like interconnects, speaker cables and power cables, but the prices will make you wince and cry. I’m sure they sounds ridiculous, I’m far too poor for those gems. Even Brise’s portable Head-fi cables are extraordinarily expensive, but well worth it I can attest. The Brise house sound is decidedly transparent, extremely resolving and natural, with a slightly modern approach to pure copper tonalities. They remind me a bit of Luxury & Precision’s approach, incredibly natural high performing analog sound, where- again- sound performance is by far the main priority and the rest a distant second thought. And that approach has paid off, everything I have heard from Brise has been staggeringly good. They pioneered a new kind of shielding for their cables, using many, many layers of proprietary shielding that gives an insanely black background, extreme resolution and detail, while staying utterly clean and clear, natural and powerful. If you haven’t had a chance to hear anything from them, I certainly recommend it, they are world class.

Before we get started, a few things to note. I bought the Tsurangi myself, though I did get a discount from MusicTeck in exchange for this review. I am not requited to say anything positive, only to share my thoughts and impressions. When I review something it is because I want to hear it myself, because it intrigues me, I lust after it. I don’t have a laundry list of forced reviews to work through, I’m not a professional, this is a passion - an addiction - for me. Some of you may have read my previous reviews, many of which have focussed on TOTL cables, something that causes a sense of disbelief for some. Spending outrageous sums of cash for a cable pushes many people too far, the cost to improvement ratio is about as crazy as anything in the hobby. I totally get it. So I am pleased now to be offering my thoughts about something more “tangible” if that word pleases you. I find cables can offer large sonics upgrades and improvements, but an amplifier can have a lot more effect. Power hungry IEMs transform when they are scaled, all gear does, and hearing is believing in this situation. Amps bring a whole slew of high grade components, more power and headroom, boosting your source’s ability to power demanding IEMs, and the possibility for better synergy with your gear from its potential change in impedance. (While demoing the Storm with DX300 MAX I found the bass caused some light distortion, using the Tsu removed this problem completely. Even something as powerful as MAX was improved by the Tsu in my opinion) An amp won’t fix your IEMs if they aren’t what you wished they were, nor are they a replacement for a DAP you don’t dig, but they are a big part of your chain, and can have a very large impact on sound. People discount headroom as a factor; remember it’s not just about power, extra headroom gives an increased sense of dynamics, space, layering and control that would otherwise be missing. I found the increase in SQ and dynamics to be rather enormous personally.





This is not a cheap item, $2700 at the time of writing. There are other amps out there costing far less, the Aroma A100TB for one (~$1100 with PSU). I reviewed it myself, and gave it a 5 star rating which still stands today. It is a fabulous piece of gear, and I loved mine to death when I had it. The Brise is different, it’s something else, and I will say right off the bat, it is the finest portable IEM amplifier I have ever heard. Hand down, it’s ridiculously good sounding. I know that’s a super strong statement to start with, but I honestly feel it lives up to that, every time I plug it in. One thing to note though, the Tsu is only made for IEMs, so don’t think it will drive full size headphone, it was never meant for that. My Jewel and the infamously hard to drive Storm were powered to their maximum potential without breaking a sweat, so there’s a lot there, just know a Susvara amp it is not.

*** EDIT - After the release of this review I have received quite a few PMs and comments about the Tsu being only made for IEMs. I quoted the Brise website for this statement, as I am not a HP user. In fact many people have reported to me the Tsu does indeed work really well for a large array of full size headphones. So just keep in mind the Tsu was designed for IEMs, but is not limited to just that.

The Tsuranagi doesn’t come with a case, nor is there rubber feet. I bought a custom case from Vishnu Leather in Korean, and while it was quite expensive, it’s awesome and protects the amp. You can see mine in the photos below, he offers many other color/leather options. I always just contact him via Instagram @vishnuleather

For testing I used the Sony WMZ1M2 and A&K SP3000, as well as demo sessions with a modded 300MAX. For IEMs I had extended listening with many, including the Jewel, Storm, A18t, FF Meastro, Fir RN6, and Elysian X + Annihilator.






The Physical, The Use and The Warning

THE PHYSICAL - The Tsuranagi comes in the traditional matte black Brise cardboard box with gold logo. There is a manual, a printed Brise catalog, a USB C cable, and a credit card sized serial number card which is a nice touch. That’s it, typical Brise, just keep it super minimalistic. The amp itself is a small black box, made of what feels like aluminum, with a satin black finish. It is smaller in person than I expected, and super light. The footprint is less imposing than other amps, it could even be pocketable if one wanted to do that for some reason. The front has a volume knob, 3.5mm SE and 4.4 BAL inputs with a selector switch to choose between them, and balanced only outputs, in 2.5mm and 4.4mm. There is a single blue LED for power status underneath the volume knob, three blue LEDs for battery charge indication, and a fourth that lights only when the amp is charging. Out back there is a USB C charging port, and that’s it. Very unassuming visually, nice and clean. It brings to mind street racer cars they call “sleepers” - where it looks like a Camry but under the hood is a 454 cubic inch fire breathing monster. The build quality is very nice, robust and feels solid. My only qualm here, the satin finish is very prone to smudges. The faceplate is even worse, when I tried to wipe it off it only seemed to make it worse. All black hardware does this, but I think it bears mentioning. Sonics above all else!

***It has come to my attention there is a payable refresh option now available, most likely to address the cosmetic issues. ***

Interestingly, they placed the jacks in a slightly awkward way, the input is in the middle as opposed to the usual side placement, so you have wires crossing when using the amp in the traditional orientation next to the DAP. You can’t place the amp right next to your DAP unless the IC is quite long, otherwise it’s off to the side at an angle as you can see in my photos. The jacks are quite close together, so plugging in and out requires a bit of care. Perhaps this was done intentionally, or it couldn’t be avoided due to the circuit board layout. Perhaps it sounded better placed there, who knows. Also, the jacks they used are not flush, they stick out a tad, which means the plug doesn’t sit flush against the casing. This puts stress against the connection, and you can see the jack flex if you move your cables a bit. Again, Brise knows what they are doing and I bet there is a reason for all of this. These are indeed tiny qualms that shouldn’t affect your decision to buy or not, it’s simply another example of Brise putting SQ over all else. Bleeding edge audio quality means some sacrifices somewhere else it seems. Sonics above all else x2!






THE USE - To turn the amp on you simply turn the volume knob and it clicks on, turn it back to zero for a nice satisfying click for off.

The battery lights work well, though there is some minor funkiness in how they display. When you turn the amp on you see the power LED turn on first, and then the battery lights come on one by one until they show the present battery charge. Turning it off does the same, but in reverse. If you turn the amp on and listen the battery LEDs function normally. I found when you turn it off the battery charge can fluctuate a bit when you turn it back on. I could be 75%, after turning it off and on again it would be 50%. Off and on again, back to 75%. Weird. I think the reason for this is how the battery charge is measured, something that I found with L&P DAPs like the LP6 and P6 Pro, but please don’t ask me to explain the technical part. Just know that during normal use I found the readout to be quite accurate. Battery life seems very good, from my tests I got 7-8hrs+. I was too focused on the sound to take detailed readings, it never died on me once so it would probably go more. For a portable amp I would say battery it is as good as anything in this form factor. Perhaps better, maybe someone will do a more scientific test to confirm this, that’s not really my thing.

One of the cool things about the Tsuranagi is that it charges with USB C. No more funky adapters and wall warts, hooray! The manual says you cannot use PD or Fast Charging, but I found out by accident that it does indeed charge with my Satechi 85W PD. According to the manual it charges with a standard 5V 2A draw, so perhaps it can accept the PD charging but doesn’t fast charge. Actually every charger I tried seemed to get the charging light to come on, never getting hot even while playing+ charging, but please don’t quote me on that. It’s always better to use the recommend equipment so as not to void your warranty, so be careful people. Charging is fairly slow, taking hours to refill complete, after which the charging light turns off which is a nice smart feature. I found no issues leaving it on the charger overnight after a lengthy late nite session to be ready for the morning’s extended jams.

Like most electronics the Tsu sounds better after it warms up. You may notice a more subtle sound improvement the first time you plug it in, but just be patient, after about 15 minutes it really starts to shine. I did a very small amount of burn-in this time, I just wanted to listen to it as much as possible. I'm sure it will open up tremendously in the coming hours and weeks of drool-worthy listening time.






The volume knob on the Tsu is great, perfect balance of weighted feel and fine tuning adjustability. You can adjust extremely small levels of difference, even a single degree of rotation gives a noticeable change. According to the manual as I understand it, the physical volume knob you turn is not the actual volume for the unit. It controls an internal volume control that is fully analog, so there is a bit of a delay when you change volume. I’m sure this was done for an extremely advance sonic reason, this is Brise’s calling card signature move after all, so I won’t even try to explain it as I don’t understand it myself. All it means is when you adjust the volume in smaller increments it is not noticeable, but if you make a large adjustment you can hear the volume ramp up with a short delay. So please, when turning up a lot, do it slowly. More than once I went to crank it up only to find the volume knob position I was aiming for was way too loud.


THE WARNING - There is one thing that I need to mention before we move on. According to the Brise website, Tsuranagi was built around the Sony M2, they’re shown together in almost all the photos. They are made for each other, really. What they don’t tell you, is that if you’re using a Sony DAP you MUST use a Y cable IC or YOU CAN BREAK THE AMP. This is because Sony has a floating 4.4mm output, which means they don’t connect the 5th pole to the chassis ground. (This is strange seeing how Sony pioneered the 4.4mm plug, but who’s keeping track) You need an interconnect that has a 4.4mm and a 3.5mm on the DAP end, this uses the ground from the 3.5mm jack. So, Sony peeps, be warned. Don’t break your new toy, get the correct IC right away so you won’t be tempted to try it out like I did. At least I found out after only a few hours, and nothing broke. I had a long conversation with Brise via email about this, they were super cool and understanding about it. They have since updated their website with a Tsuranagi Q+A page, and sent an email to all existing owners to warn them of possible damage. Kudos for taking care of it so quickly and responsibly, Brise gets major points on this one in my opinion. Now, Brise does makes an excellent interconnect cable made specifically for the Tsuranagi and M2, I bought it myself and it sounds epic. It’s also $1200, ouch! But, Sony owners out there can use an IC cable or grounding adapter from any company they wish of course.


***Brise’s website now features a Q+A section with a lot of technical details and compatibility concerns, if you’re considering the Tsu you should read it through yourself: https://briseaudio.com/pages/tsuranagi-q-a







THE SOUND

How does it sound? Glorious. Ridiculously good. Amazeballs. Choose your superlative and I feel it is rightfully represented by the beast that is the Tsuranagi. It packs the Brise house sound to its core, bringing amazing musicality, resolution and dynamics, but it’s just so transparent too. Not in a clinical way at all, staying effortlessly musical, lifting your gear up and out in every direction, while never taking away the heart of what was there to begin with. For those that have heard the Yatono Ultimate IEM cables, I would say the Tsu is like an Ultimate 8W in a box on steroids. The tuning and tonality are very much of the same lineage, and they should be, as the Tsu has Ultimate and Murakomo wires for internal wiring. Leave it to Brise to put their highest quality IEM wire inside an amp, I’m not sure I have heard of another company doing something like that. The end result is truly stunning, the Tsu has a larger than life type of sound that envelops you in an endless space of sonic bliss.

Upon plugging it in, what I first heard was the bass - dear lord does it go deep. It has more rumble, more texture, more authority and punch. It’s sooooo good. I hear more information down there too, not just rumble and thuds. Really articulate bass that has great levels of detail, while also being so deep and powerful that I can feel it in my kidneys. It does focus a bit more on the sub region over mid bass, I can instantly hear and feel more sub rumble in an effortless way. That doesn’t mean it lacks any punch or kick, mid bass is articulate and punchy too. Remembering the transparency, there is more attention and featuring to the bass, but not more quantity. It’s just more flushed out, more clear, but not boosted or shelved. That means your IEMs, DAP, and music library have the same quantity of bass as before, it is simply improved in all aspects. If the track is bass light or neutral, it will stay that way. If it’s some serious deep house stuff, you can be sure it will put a big smile on your face with incredible texture and deep rumbles. I have honestly been on a serious electronic music deep dive lately, fueled in no small way by just how great the bass is with Tsuranagi. And remember, coming with that extra power is the extra headroom, which is felt prominently in the bass region. It’s tighter, more taught and crisp too. More effortless, reaching deep without breaking a sweat extremely well controlled. Just fantastic.

The bass isn’t featured, everything is perfectly balanced. In typical Brise fashion, mids are clean and crisp without being sharp. Amazingly detailed, but always musical. Voices sit right above your head, guitars and keys have amazing texture and grit when called for, or delicate and nuanced for the tender stuff. Acoustic instruments and electronic benefit greatly, sounding very natural or otherworldly respectively. There is an increase in note weight, but not thickness or muddiness, everything just sounds bigger and more powerful. Treble is silky smooth and well extended, also with increased note weight which I really like, not thinning out to accentuate space or false air. Sparkle is well controlled, tiny golden flakes of magic EST treble flicker and float around you. Never leaning into sibilant territory, smooth and gorgeous.





The second thing I noticed was the staging, and wow. The stage is massive, extending in all directions. I hear vertical expansion endlessly above, width stretching far away on either side, plus great depth out as well as below. It somehow manages to keep the instruments closer to you, increasing the engagement factor, while keeping this immense space all around. So it’s powerful and intimate while also being enormous at the same time. It’s really wild, hard to describe honestly. I heard similarly when I demoed the Yatono Ultimate 8W, so it comes as no surprise to me that it has the same effect. The Tsuranagi stage is much larger than just the 8W, but they go for the same vibe. Positioning and placement is also top notch, I hear instruments clearly placed all around the stage, as well as reverbs and twinkling details swirling around in very precise layers with tons of air and separation. What I find also very impressive is the positioning of depth in regard to instruments. On a drum set I can clearly hear some drums, like snares, are closer to me and how the crashes and toms are further away. During a drum fill I can actually hear the toms as they go not only from side to side, but also closer and further away, increasing the realism. It’s like sitting in the studio with the band as they jam all around you.

Lastly I noticed the blackness of the background, like a black hole, just pure nothingness. Notes and details jump out at you from empty space, resulting in a large increase in microdetails and appreciated resolution. No-one does shielding like Brise, even PW honestly, and this is one of the defining factors of the Tsuranagi. That pitch black background and zero noise floor is addictive. With well recorded material you get some of the most defined note attacks and transients I have ever heard. Like the first time I heard the Orpheus, details just leap out and grab your attention, then float away behind your head into the depths like an endless cave at the center of the earth. That feeling of being lost in space, engulfed in music and alone in the universe has never been more apparent for me than when I plug in the Tsuranagi. It’s rather hard to explain, how does something get more black than black? Somehow they have figured it out. The Tsu is incredibly dynamic, so even in the quietest passages you can feel that darkness all around you, and when it gets big the world opens up and explodes in a fiery wall of sound. Micro and Macro details are on the highest level here, you can hear EVERYTHING, but never overwhelming or clinical. Macro dynamics and vertical expansion are further enhanced here too, I hear a large increase in subtleties, as well as outright slam and power. The sound is natural, and extremely resolving. I don’t hear any focused frequency more than others, it is what I would call reference, but not at all in the way of being boring, flat, or lacking excitement in any way. It’s a big sound, a huge sound, and everything just sounds better. I know that’s a bit of a wide net statement but I have yet to find a genre of music that doesn’t profit rather immensely from the Tsu. It’s inspiring to be honest, and I find myself super excited every time I have a chance to plug it in. More than once I was rushing home from work just to listen, checking out old and new material just to see how amazing it sounds.





COMPARISIONS - So, how does the Tsu stack up against the other TOTL portables you may ask? Extremely well, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review I find the Tsu to be the best portable amp I have ever heard. And that’s saying a lot, since I had enormous expectations, plus I have also demoed and owned quite a few amps in the last few years. The others are great, especially the Aroma A100TB which I reviewed a while back. But the Tsu has something they don’t, and while it’s hard to put a specific name to that difference, I will just say that Brise magic has something to do with it. Please keep in mind that I didn’t have these amps side by side for direct comparisons, so I am relying on my notes and extended experience with the same playlist of demo tracks and same IEMs.

The Aroma A100TB is a killer amp, and in my review I said it was the best amp I had heard. I meant that. The 100TB is far cheaper, and with the optional (though I think it necessary) PSU it sounds absolutely incredible. I found it to thicken up the sound a great deal, adding a sense of increased dynamics, increased stage size and more detail. It is very powerful sounding, and to its credit, quite raw and thunderous. It made everything sound huge and very detailed, a potent mix. The bass was very tight and punchy, mids super clean and resolving, and the highs were tight and controlled, while never being too bright or shrill in any way. If I had to describe its sound in one word it would have to be raw or intense, and I mean that in a good way. The biggest difference between the 100TB and Tsuranagi is in subtleties and grace. The Aroma is ultra powerhouse, the Brise is more refined. More graceful and realistic, more neutral, more open, with greater ease in its approach. That’s not to say that it’s less powerful sounding, or that it’s boring or lacking impact - quite the opposite. Yeah, you can crank it up and get your chest shaking, but the personality is just more refined, more mature. It gives all the intensity, power or thunder you could ever want, but it also does the gentle stuff, the heavy metal, the jazz, the deepest house bass drops, or vocals in a way that moves you to tears while also throwing your head back. I hear a deeper bass with more texture. It’s more detailed, more open, stretching wider and with better positioning and stage placement. The treble is more extended, more airy, and more smooth. Just like the Yatono Ultimate 8W cable, it somehow gives a bigger and more bold sound while also being refined and spacious, elegant even.

The A100TB has a slightly smaller footprint, but when you add the PSU it does end up being “bigger” in daily use. The Tsu is very small and light, and I found the size easier to handle with daily listening and transportation. Also, the PSU always needs to be plugged in, and that cable just adds something to get tugged on or possibly broken. Both casings are easily scratched and smudged. They both have very similar high level build quality, similar power for IEMs, so in the end it just comes down to personal choice. So yes, I prefer the Tsu over A100TB. It does outperform the Aroma on several levels, its tuning is more mature and expansive, plus that bass is ridiculously good.

The Pico Orga is a wonderful little tube amp that I was lucky to demo for a few months, before the owner asked me to sell it for him. It’s a fully analog tube amp and it sounds as such. Huge enveloping stage that is fully 3D all around you. Great texture and realism, a wonderfully organic listen. You can tube and IC swap, I spent many enjoyable days playing around with it. In terms of resolution and neutrality the Origa is easily bested by the Tsuranagi, but they are going for totally different sounds. The Tsu is far more clean and clear, the Origa is warmer, greasier and tube sounding. The Origa is SE only vs the Balanced output of the Tsu. The Origa is very hard to find, but used it costs about the same as the Tsu, and has similar amounts of power. Yeah, they’re totally different, but I think it’s a benefit to include it here. The Origa is really something special if you get a chance to hear it for yourself.

The Cayin C9 - I owned the C9 myself, actually it was my first portable amp for IEMs. I was in love with it when I had it, kind of a Swiss army knife that worked well with everything. The C9 features Kong Nutubes, which are not real vacuum tubes in the truest sense of the word for all the die-hards out there. They sound great, but for the sake or argument I won’t refer to them as “tubes”, especially since I am including the Origa in this comparison. The C9 sounds great, has plenty of power under the hood, and a very pleasant tonality. Solid state and tube modes, plus Class A and AB give you loads of options to fine tune your sound. As good as the C9 is, I think it is beginning to show its age, the resolution and abilities are slightly below the newer bad boys on the block. It is also pretty large and heavy compared, and I remember it got quite hot under lengthy use, especially when using time mode. The Aroma is better, the Tsu is on another level entirely. The Tsu somehow manages to keep all the musicality and emotion while also being incredibly detailed, layered and resolving. C9 and Aroma are wonderful amps, the Tsuranagi is simply another step up.







Interconnects - As the Tsuranagi is extremely sensitive, your choice of IC will play a big role. I tried it with quite a few different ICs and came to the same conclusion each time; the Brise ICs sound the best matched with Tsu. They simply match the house sound, have that extremely detailed yet musical sound, and they are the most neutral of anything I tired which resulted in a very expansive and technically capable amp setup. I hear more of the Tsu with Brise ICs, others were more colored or imparted too much of their own vibe into the mix. You can of course use any IC you wish to color or adjust the sound to your liking, there are many amazing ICs out there. I received quite a few messages about IC choices for the Tsu, and many were how it compares to the Orphy IC I have. Well, the Orphy sounds incredible, and, to no-one’s surprise sounds exactly like the Orphy sounds. Extremely resolving with a great analog tonality, warm, smoother treble and amazing mids, with a focus on the mid bass. The Brise is more neutral, less warm, less mid forward but equally as heavy in the note weight, with more top end sparkle and deeper sub bass. The Orphy is actually more resolving in the mids, with great mid bass punch, but it’s a bit more colored overall and “can” draw attention away from the perfect neutral balance that is the Tsu. I loved the Ultimate 8W cable, but the ergo was sudden death for me and I just couldn’t handle it. The nice thing about the Tsu with Brise Ultimate Mini IC is that I get all that Brise tone I fell in love with, without the ergo and discomfort I had with the IEM cable. The Orphy cable is far more comfortable and with certain IEMs is absolutely godly. Ultimately I really dig both ICs, but if I was to advise, I would suggest the Brise IC for the Tsu. Keeping in mind that Brise ICs are ridiculously expensive (~$900-1200!) you may want to experiment with what you already have before taking the plunge. If you can afford it, (and you can find one) just get the Brise Ultimate Mini IC and call it a day, absolute GOAT and end-game for sure.

DAPs - I found that all DAPs were greatly improved when adding the Tsu into the mix. How much so varied based on how much power the DAP had to begin with, and whether I was using LO or double amping. The WM1Z M2 doesn’t have an LO, but double amping is phenomenal with the Tsu (as mentioned, the Tsu was designed with it). While some may prefer a true LO, and one that doesn’t require some special cable or adapters, I found the amped M2 to retain its addictive Sony house but with an increase in dynamics, stage size, bass reach etc. It just got bigger and better while tuning wise not changing really at all. Using something like the SP3000, the increase was also considerable, but since it has more power the extra headroom wasn’t as hugely noticeable. But the weightier more dynamic delivery was a huge step up. Marco dynamics, resolution, positioning, all increased. I heard more Brise in the tuning, since I was using the LO, you skip the AK’s power section altogether. I like this combo a lot, very modern Hi-Fi, HUGE stage. Funny enough, even with the 300MAX, which has a staggering amount of power already, (more than Tsu?) I liked it better with the Tsu than alone. It was just more dynamic, again having a bigger presence, and more grace. Even more HUGE-ER stage, absolutely massive. While only the Sony is shown in the photos, it’s simply because that’s what I had with me the day of shooting. In my experience, the Tsuranagi brings out the absolute best in any source, no matter what it is.





The Conclusion - Here we are at the end, and I think what I said up front still holds most true, and most relevant; The Brise Tsuranagi is the best portable IEM amp I have ever heard. It is just incredible, and no matter what I throw at it, it’s simply breathtakingly good. I find myself excited to use it, rushing home to plug it in. Isn’t that what this hobby is all about? Being transported to another plane, being completely enveloped in your music, permanently emblazoning a smile that reaches ear to ear. That’s what it is for me at least. The Tsuranagi is a rocket ship of tone, a sleeper street racer, and a graceful zen garden all in a small, plain black box that doesn’t draw attention to itself. Yes there are a few idiosyncrasies and small qualms in basic usage, but I found after a bit you totally forget about them as they really don’t matter. Sound is first, and for this there’s nothing that comes close in my opinion. If you find yourself looking for the best of the best, the Tsuranagi is it. Yes, it’s a lot to spend on an amp, this hobby is ridiculous in pricing. But if you find yourself with enough cash to spend $4k on a portable amp and matching IC, I promise you won’t regret it. I know it’s a lot, I know. It’s the most expensive IEM amp by a large margin, but I think it’s actually better by the same margin. I have yet to be so in love with a piece of gear, the Tsuranagi holds a very special place in my heart. I only hope that it can do the same for you.


Thank you to Andrew at MusicTeck, and also to the whole team at Brise for their dedication, amazing work, and willingness to support their users. If you want to get one for yourself I cannot recommend MusicTeck more - support your local audio store and the nicest guy in the biz! You can find it here: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/brise-audio/products/brise-tsuranagi-portable-amplifier

Thanks for reading!

Greetings dear Head-fiers, and welcome to my review of - in my personal opinion - the most underrated and lesser known TOTL cable in the world: The PW 1950s Shielding. This is one badass cable, often overlooked, and I am excited to share my experiences and impressions with you all. I will also be rather meticulously comparing it to the other big dogs of the day - the Orpheus, Brise Ultimate 8W, First Times Shielding and Ode To Laura, an exciting ride through absolute SQ heaven. It will be a bit long, lots of detail to cover, so be prepared for that. Not everyone believes in cables, or has the means or desire to spend such an exorbitant amount of cash on a TOTL cable. I get it, I totally do and your opinions and feelings are warranted. I won’t even try to convince you otherwise, but maybe better not to waste your time on this lengthy review if you don’t care. Some people do, I certainly do. We crazies constantly fever dream about that final 3% SQ improvement, a tad more this or less of that, and I write this for those as insatiable as I. Cables can unleash inherent potential, they aren’t a guarantee of improvement, and should be considered as such. Pairing is paramount, and as always YMMV. As a quick aside, please keep in mind that this is a very expensive cable. $2400 at the time of writing. The others are similarly ridiculous in cost, with the Orphy a staggering $5k+, FTS, OTL and Brise 8W close to $3k or above. So with that in mind let’s get started!


If we wind back the clock a few years ago, I was just starting to dance with the idea of getting into IEM cables. Coming from years of 2 Channel Hi-Fi and cable rolling, I was well aware of the differences -and potential upgrades- cables could make. I used to spend hours and hours with a buddy of mine A/B’ing speaker cables for my home system. I have really sensitive/critical ears, so it was fun, and also maddening picking out all the tiny differences. It’s a labor of love one could say, not for the faint of heart. Since the very beginning I have been a Cardas fan. Their ability to mix detail, note weight, soundstage and resolution without a hint of harshness or overly accentuated tonality was their secret sauce, and has garnered them legend status. I currently have all Cardas in my home 2 channel, Golden Cross and Golden Presence, and I love it. Lush yet detailed, even but enrapturing, crystal clear and revealing, with a tiny hint of warmth and musicality for days. When I play vinyl I just melt into my chair and am carried away to sonic bliss. Why I am speaking about Cardas Hi-Fi cables in a IEM cable review you may ask? Well because the PW 1950s is using Cardas wire inside, Cardas Clear to be specific. While it may not be listed on any website officially, believe it or not both the PW 1950s and 1960s cables are made with “off the shelf stock” Cardas wire. I actually called Cardas and spoke with them at length, and they reluctantly confirmed, it’s their wire for sure. The 50s is Cardas Clear, the 60s is Cardas Clear light, offering different takes on the Cardas sound - 50s being more revealing and reference compared to the warmer 60s. So how does one go about getting Cardas’ fabled wire? You either buy it by the long roll which is insanely expensive, or you get yourself some Cardas headphone cables, rip them apart and redo it yourself. The latter is what cable gurus like @DrJuggles do, which is apparently extremely time consuming, and expensive to boot. 50’s clones can also be found on the second hand market, and for around $700ish you can get yourself a real 50s Cardas Clear IEM cable. To no surprise they sound amazing. PW sells the same cable, (buying it by the huge roll no less) with their fancy hardware and brand prestige for $2k+, and sonically I can tell you there is no difference at all. I had them both at the same time - my first “real” cable was a 50s clone and I loved it to death. The hardware wasn’t exactly matching, but when I first plugged it in with my 64A 18t I was instantly transported to heaven. Like my home 2-channel, it sounded just right, that perfect balance of resolution, evenness and musicality. I was blown away that a clone could sound so good, and to be honest, I wondered why anyone in their right mind would pay more than double for cosmetic differences and useless brand prestige.


Fast forward a few months and I saw the 50S pop up on MusikTeck’s website and I was intrigued. This was something new to me. It looked super cool, and while I didn’t know much about the PW Shielding secret sauce back then I was nonetheless smitten, and brokenhearted, with the idea that there was a better version of what I already have. (Typical audiophile thinking right?) I spent weeks starring at the website, and inevitably just ordered one to satisfy the lingering question on my mind: how could it be better? When I first installed it I was totally blown away. It takes everything from the 50s that made it magical, but taking it up several notches in every direction, like a different cable. From my previous review of the First Times Shielding I was absolutely astonished to hear how much of an upgrade it offered over the standard FT. There is something truly impressive about whatever PW is putting in that shielding, the sound benefits are very noticeable, and not only does it improve the SQ, imaging, background blackness and resolution, but it adds more dynamics and energy too. Can’t explain how, but I hear it clear as day.








I’ll get deep into the sonics in just a bit, but quickly fast forward a bit more, and I bought myself an Orpheus (which is a staggering cable), and mistakenly sold the 50s Shielding quickly afterwards. The Orphy is a beast, and does something I never thought was possible; a pure copper cable that basically defies the laws of sonic physics. While it was a bit different than the “Cardas” sound, being a bit more warm and colored, it is a crowding achievement in cable tech. I was again smitten. Further down the road I found myself downgrading my gear and putting funds elsewhere, and I sold my prized Orphy. I often wonder if it was the right decision. But I did need a cable for my Jewel, and the 50S was the first thing coming to my mind. So I bought it again, and I love it just as much as I did the first time, even after owning and trying/reviewing basically every TOTL cable available. It’s a beast in its own right for sure, incredibly impressive. If anyone is wondering, the 50S is the closest to a “baby Orpheus” I have yet to find. Not the same, but for half the price or less, it is incredibly close in many ways. With the Jewel it’s a perfect match.


Quick disclaimer: I bought my 50S myself, though I did get a discount from MusicTeck in exchange for a review. I have done quite a few reviews, I always pay for my gear, and only buy what I am personally interested in. I don’t spend any time reviewing things for anyone else, this is a passion, and I do because I want to. I spent an exorbitant amount on time doing this, and I love every minute of it. There is never a promise of a favorable review in any way, my words and impressions are my own. I offer in the hope that they can help others along their audio journey, the same way the myriad reviews I read as a beginner helped me enormously. I can’t thank those that came before me enough for their immeasurable assistance, guidance and gracious patience with me. If you want one for yourself I suggest buying it from MusicTeck. Andrew is a true gentleman, and the nicest guy to work with. Kind and accommodating, shipping to me in the EU is usually 2 days and I’m a happy camper. I receive absolutely nothing from this recommendation, just want to pass on my good experiences there, and MT is the best in the biz. You can find it here.


All my listening was with the Aroma Jewel and 64A 18t. I used the Sony WM1ZM2 mostly, but did some testing also on the A&K SP3K. I also used the N8ii, P6 Pro, RS8 and LP6 Ti AE in the past, but those impressions will be from memory and my extensive notes. I’m a musician and engineer as a profession, so I do err on the side of realistic over extraordinary in terms of tuning. I am not a scientific guy, this is all based on feeling end emotions. That being said I do a ton of A/B testing, to the point of madness most times, so when I say I hear something it’s after a ton of scrutiny and effort on my part. Please keep in mind that these are my thoughts only, I speak in experience and impression only, not in facts.

FYI I pay no attention to packaging or any of that, a box is a box and it just goes in a drawer like the rest, so I will spend no time on it. Suffice to say the 50S comes in a back metal box with nothing else. Pure and simple.

Let’s get into it!






The 50s Shielding is an uncolored monster. Unbridled resolution, top tier dynamics, wide stage but also intimate when called for, all with a crystal clear presentation that leaves nothing unheard or unfelt. It could even be described as surgical, so clean and clear. It is very linear, without a single shred of FR out of place or peaks in any way. The balance is incredible, and one of its defining features for me. Having owned the Orpheus, it’s hard to compete with that in terms of a copper sound. I’m not here to say that the 50S bests the Orphy, it doesn’t. The Orphy is an absolute beast as mentioned earlier, with the widest stage I’ve ever heard and so much micro detail and texture, all in a natural and sublimely musical analog presentation. Vocals and instruments are ridiculously awesome sounding on it, that mid forwardness and thick note vibe is intoxicating. It’s simply staggering. But, if I had one complaint/criticism for the Orphy it would be that it’s a bit imposing. No matter IEM I used it with, it would also sound like Orphy. It is also quite smooth and slower paced, with a strong emphasis on mid bass and rolled off highs, which sometimes left me wanting a bit more extension on both ends. The 50S has about 95% of the Orphy’s abilities, but it removes those somewhat imposing qualities and exchanges them for an ultra clear and uncolored tonality in exchange. Gone is the mid forwardness and mid bass bump, instead you have godly resolution without the imposition. Now, some may certainly prefer the colored tonality, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the extra musicality the Orphy brings, I love it dearly myself. But I do find myself really enjoying the 50S especially for that reason. It’s different but also lust-worthy. Some albums that could be a bit too mid focused, too much mid bass, or the highs too tamed down for me with the Orphy, the 50S brings all that back while keeping the magic there. The FTS, OTL and Brise 8W certainly have their advantages and uniqueness here too - but we’ll get into that later on. Let me just say it clearly here, the 50s is technically one of the most impressive cables I’ve heard to date, but the magic is the balance.






BASS - The 50S has amazing bass. I remember how great the bass was on the OG 1950s. Powerful and punchy, reaching low and with great authority. It was fairly neutral, but with a fantastic tonality. The Shielding version is just better. Reaches deeper, more punch and speed too. Texture is fabulous, rich and rumbly, never bleeding in the mids. The control is one aspect I find most improved with the added shielding, the bass gets so much more taught and moving, like someone added a ton of headroom with a powerful amp, there is just a feeling of tightness and punch that never feels wooly or thumpy. When the track calls for massive bass it will knock your head off, but it also gets out of the way completely if the track doesn’t feature a heavy low end. I hear it very linearly, all the way to the deepest rumble, there is no emphasis in any particular part of the bass, which makes for a really enjoyable low end in my opinion. Vintage bass, ultra modern throbbing synth lines, thunderous bass kicks, they all sound epic and controlled. Keep in mind that the 50S is uncolored or boosted here, which means it will be present the bass the way your source and IEMs do. So if you have a bass shy IEM, or a boosted mega canon, they will stay that way, just tighter, more controlled and punchy, reaching deeper, really textured and wondrous. I have never tried an IEM with the 50S whose bass didn’t improve dramatically. If you’re a real bass head in terms of quantity this might not be your cable, but in terms of quality this is one of the best I’ve heard.


I did some bass tests just for fun and I was very impressed with the 50S’ abilities in keeping with the original track mix. I use jazz records from Pat Metheny, Avishai Cohen, Joshua Redman ,GoGo Penguin, Robert Glasper and John Coltrane along with some more modern stuff like Snarky Puppy, Moonchild, Hiatus Kayote and Talking Heads. Then some heavy stuff like Tool, Meshuggah and Gojira. Finally some bass heavy mixes like D’Angelo, Emancipator, FKJ, Asgeir, Bonobo, and even Billie Eilish just to show the deepest range. (I do love electronic music, I just don’t have a huge library of truly bass intensive music so I cannot comment on that aspect fully) I was astonished to hear how well the 50S handled them all. James Garrison’s upright bass was clear with plenty of growl, Micheal League’s ’62 P-Bass was punchy with just a touch of that early Fender woofy magic. Avishai Cohen has a ton of finger noise is his tone, it was so percussive and snappy, I felt like he was siting right in front of me. I could even feel the low end from his upright shaking my feet, wild stuff. All the heavy music never got muddy and stayed tight, I could even clearly discern what kind of bass amp they were using, instead of just a boomy thump. D’Angelo and Moonchild was sub-bass heaven, and even with Billie Eilish torture tracks, those deep and dirty mixes slammed my head off without breaking up. I was especially impressed with how it was able to handle Asgeir’s Bury The Moon album, delicate acoustic instruments and reverb drenched falsetto, with that dirty electronic bass and crackling production down below never sounding murky or closed in. The Orphy made this album almost unlistenable for me, it was just a wild mess of lower mids and midbass in a sea of overlapping boosted frequencies. The 50S showed off the intricate subtleties better and got out of the way more. I have never heard a cable sound so wildly chameleon, its ability to adapt is incredible.


Comparing the FTS and OTL, both feature more of a colored bass, slightly more boosted, with the FTS featuring the sub bass more, and OTL having a bump in the mid bass. Both the FTS and OTL are very fast and punchy in the low end. The Orphy also has some extra bass thrown in there, and is slower and more analog sounding, favoring mid bass over the relatively minute sub-bass region. The Brise 8W has a touch over neutral in quantity, reaching lower than all of them, fast with very good texture and control. The 50S is totally even in this area, reaching as low as the track calls for, with a bit less in quantity overall, but still slamming when called upon. Brise 8W and FTS both have a bit more sub bass, Brise is faster and FTS is a bit slower comparatively. Orphy has amazing control, but slower attack. OTL is uber punchy and textured, some of the best I’ve heard from a cable. Now this is all ultra nitpicking, but since we’re splitting hairs here I personally prefer the a more neutral tuning vs colored and boosted bass presentations most of the time. This is of course IEM and source dependent, so keep that in mind. Brise 8W and 50S have the most comparable bass presentations here, while the Brise has a touch more quantity, and sub bass they are both linear-ish, punchy and awesome. Pick your poison, they all have amazing bass.








MIDS - Coming from my guitarist and studio recording background the buck starts and stops with the midrange. Mid are where it’s at for me. It’s also where most “real” instruments live, and where vocals and harmonies flow. That isn’t to say that other frequencies are less important, but for me mids have to be correctly presented or I lose interest. The 50S mids are sparklingly clear and open, incredibly detailed and resolving while always sounding natural. I hear no embellishment or frequency peaks of any kind, just pure unadulterated midrange that is simply fabulous. There is just so much detail it’s wild, but keeping that copper natural sound. If you’re not used to it, it can be a bit intense at the beginning. Remember that surgical comment from earlier? The mids is where you hear it most, but fear not, it’s not sharp or harsh in any way, just really really resolving. Transients are tight but never aggressive or overly ambitious, keeping the music fast paced when it calls for it, relaxed when the tunes get more mellow, and everything in between. Again that Chameleon thing, if it’s intense music then it will be really intense, but it can also be relaxed and enjoyable for hours and hours with zero fatigue. From the plucks of a distorted Pink Floyd guitar string, or the wispy lip smacking of Norah Jones, the screaming organ of Jethro Tull, or the sinfully percussive attack of Coltrane’s horn, everything is clear, clear, clear. There is equal weight to the lower and higher mids, so drums thwack and thump, snares don’t sound thinned out or given more attack via some EQ weirdness. I can hear the drumhead attack so clearly, along with the decay and bloom like I’m right there next to it. Guitars are epic. Put on Tool’s Vicarious and be treated to some of the best guitar and drum mixes you’ll ever hear. Huge and stunning, but clean, clear and precise too. Instruments sound real and lively. Vocals are sublime and neither too wet and gooey, nor too cold or lacking in emotion. Male and Female vocals sound correctly weighted, and never too thick or thinned out for airyness’ sake. It does equally well with something tender and light handed too - Joni Mitchell, Steel Dan or Fleetwood Mac sound straight off the mixing console. Listening to Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach cello suites was a life altering experience, I could hear his breathing and the scratching of the bow against the strings as clear as day.


For vocals testing I used some of my favorite artists such as Jacob Collier, Jordan Rakei, RY-X, Kandace Springs, Lianne La Havas and Gregory Porter. From the deepest Porter baritone to Collier’s falsetto nothing was out of place, nothing too thin or too thick, they all simply sounded deeply moving and effortlessly clear. Kandace Springs has a huge range, and I was very happy to hear that her voice was splendidly portrayed throughout. She can rumble the floor or test your tweeters for peak range, she’s amazing. Lianne was epically gorgeous, every inflection and wisper was so present, so clear and articulated - never once did I hear harshness or peakiness which the Jewel can sometimes have for female voices. This is an incredibly musical midrange, but undeniably clean and clear. With the Jewel, whose mids are more forward and super resolving to begin with, I find this type of presentation lustful and reference at the same time.


I’m a big heavy music fan, and when I get in the mood I want it to blow my hair back. Speaking about muddiness, I love chugging heavy guitars, and this can be a torture test for lower mids (and the rest of the mids too). One test I always do is with the newest Meshuggah album, man is it heavy…. damn. The guitars are tuned super low and unbelievably thick sounding, and I gauge how good the separation is, and whether or not things gets broken up, lost in the mix or turning too analytical or crispy. The Orphy has great spread and the mid resolution is unmatched, but it’s quite thick note-weight wise, and on the slower side. It also has that mid bass bump, and I sometimes felt that made for a bit of muddiness and lack of energy. FTS is a tad soft as well, but with a touch of upper mid/treble energy that can make for fatigue on heavy mixes. The Brise 8W is fast and articulate with thicker note weight, but also features a bit of upper mid energy around 2Khz that I know some really enjoy, but it was a bit too much with the Jewel’s extra presence there. The OTL is nice and tight in the low mids, but it has thinner leaner upper mids, plus that extra upper treble emphasis makes heavy music too bright for me, too crispy. The 50S absolutely SMASHES with heavy music. Meshuggah never sounded so clear - their deepest darkest insanity is portrayed in stunning clarity, never breaking up or getting lost. It’s super fast and articulate, crazy detailed with fast and clean transients. It has perfect note weight, with great layering and an even top end that never overemphasizes the splashy-trashy-grittyness that is metal. Love it - highest recommendation for heavyness.


Comparing the mids to our other TOTL contenders: The Orphy has the uber stretched out, thick and wondrous mids, best in the business. While the Orpheus mids have slightly more micro details and more note weight, the 50S is the more “correct” of the two, never exaggerating in any way. The Orphy is more sinful, more musical, more open and wider stage, but not by that much. The 50S has very similar technical abilities but keeps the stage size a bit more natural and spherical instead of crazy wide, but it never sounds crowded or closed up at all. I do prefer a slightly more mid forward sound if I am being honest, the 50S doesn’t affect this, the Orphy has the sweet spot for me there, FTS also has somewhat forward mids too. But I do like them both, different but both extremely detailed and impressively musical. The Brise 8W comes closer to the Orphy than any others in terms of raw resolution and abilities, it is a massively impressive cable. Transients are smooth, but the energy is fast and dynamic. Very detailed and great note weight. The Brise does sound a bit more modern to me than the others, like a hybrid cable mixing a bit of silver or exotic materials in there. There isn’t a hint of harshness or extra brightness commonly associated with some hybrids, it is very smooth and natural, but very dynamic. I could happily live sonically with the Orphy or Brise 8W forever and never leave anything wanting in terms of mids, they are both stellar. FTS and OTL have a lighter more neutral touch, not as much detail as Orphy but both impressive. While FTS is a tad mid forward but linear here, with a touch of extra energy in the upper midrange. The transients and speed of FTS is closer to Brise, it has more bite and attack than 50S. OTL begins to thin out here, going instead for a lighter more ethereal tonality. I mentioned this in my review, and honestly the thinner upper mids of the OTL was one of the main reasons I didn’t buy it for myself. I know for a fact this is a main reason a lot of people love it, so always YMMV. The 50S has a more neutral sound than all the above, but never sterile or lean. Note weight is somehow fat and powerful, but not imposingly so. It’s not thick, it doesn’t add weight like the Orphy or Brise 8W, the 50S is clear and open, but it is very satisfying in the way. For the most weighty and lush mids the Orphy stands alone, but just behind is the Brise 8W, 50S and FTS, and then the OTL being the thinnest. Again I must state, these are all amazing midranges, and I am splitting hairs down to the subatomic level here. You can’t go wring with any of them.







TREBLE - Like the rest of the spectrum, the 50S remains clean and clear up to the top end as well. There is plenty of air, shimmer and sparkle when called for, but there is NO EXTRA anything if it’s not there to begin with. Like most copper cables, especially Cardas, there is a slight roll off on the uppermost frequencies, but it doesn’t feel constricted or missing airiness. It is well extended and natural, smooth and well defined. That top notch resolution continues in the high end, sparkle and crashes are super clean and controlled but light on their feet at the same time. I will be the first to admit that I have a sensitivity in the treble region, and too much spice or sparkle can make me uncomfortable. I have worked on this, and my limit has been raised, but I am always cautious of ultra energetic treble sounds. With the 50S there is a sense of pleasantness and freedom in the high end, without lacking an ounce of energy and clarity, the high end is super comfortable for me. I would highly recommend this cable for anyone that has a treble sensitivity, but I must stress that it’s not missing any sparkle, it’s just presented in a very relaxed and open way.


What I really love about the 50S is how linear it is in terms of note weight. Usually a cable has a big low end, fast and thicker low mids, slightly leaner upper mids and the high end tapers off into a whisper. I find this kind of distracting as instruments with higher pitch have less body. This is not the way we hear it live, a cymbal smash can have lot of weight, guitar solos at the high end shouldn’t trail off into space completely. The 50S keeps that even note weight all the way to the top. Even with the highest notes, I never get the ethereal otherworldly quality. With EST treble there can be that lovely sensation of soft touch in the highest ranges, notes flicker and shimmer, floating in space. The 50S keeps that, but there isn’t the artificial tapering off like some cables do in favor of extra air. While the OTL has a fantastic high end, there is a treble emphasis there, adding in some golden sparkle. It’s something that I did truly enjoy during my time reviewing it. This isn’t a negative per se, only that I found it to be somewhat fatiguing after some time with the brighter material, and I prefer a more neutral presentation of my high end. Some might call the OTL bright, I would just say treble focused, and it did indeed capture my attention a bit too often for my tastes.


I have a test track for treble, it’s from Jacob Collier’s Djesse 2 album, called “Feel”. It starts off with this kick drum hit that decays into space, and floating above there is this flickering, shimmering, sparkling noise going on up top. I hear this very differently depending on which cable and source I am testing. I find it a very honest test of “airiness”. The Orphy removes almost all of it, while OTL makes it very apparent. FTS and Brise I hear it very nicely, with just a touch more emphasis, but very clear and airy. The 50S has all the same details but it sounds more in the background and not as forward, relaxed but resolving. Choose what you prefer here, treble is quite a personal preference thing. I tend to err on the side of cation to avoid any fatigue or harshness. For treble heads, and those that like a lot of treble emphasis and extra sparkle this might not be the best choice. I would instead go for the OTL, it has probably the best treble of any cable I have heard. The 50S just doesn’t shine a light there as much as others do, the treble is fantastic quality though, just not featured.


If I had to rank the cables I am comparing here in terms of treble emphasis it would be as follows: OTL being the most treble focused, then Brise 8W or FTS, then 50S, Orpheus. The Brise isn’t a bright cable at all, but there is a bit of a modern twist to the tuning, and it has a tiny peak in the upper mids/lower treble that brings more attention to those frequencies. The Brise’s “hybrid” sound is featured here, perhaps more than in the midrange. Keep in mind that it is very natural and extended organically. Same with the FTS, while being more old school/analog in tuning, has a slight touch of extra treble energy there, but in no way would I call it bright. The FTS is definitely more energetic here, with more bite and sparkle, but not on the level as OTL. The 50S and Orphy both have that copper slight roll off, but the Orphy’s roll off is more extreme, sometimes feeling that there is indeed something missing or omitted. The 50S has a more relaxed high end than others, but I never feel as though something is missing, it’s all there, just faithfully presented and slightly relaxed. That means if you have a brighter IEM and want to soften the top end, the 50S and Orphy would do that, but the 50S won’t actually remove anything, just soften the uppermost frequencies a tad. The Orphy makes it more analog and can, in some cases, remove information up top. All these cables have great extension and air up top. The most would be the OTL as it extends almost to infinity. The Brise and FTS would be next, in a more relaxed and subdued way compared to OTL, both with amazing extension and air. The 50S is very very good but just not its defining trait. The Orpheus has the most analog top end, and while there is a ton of air and space, there is not so much sparkle or energy present.








SOUNDSTAGE AND NOISE FLOOR - Stage size is a bit of a loaded term, and can be quite dependent on a person’s feelings about what space really is. Some cables push super wide and stretch the imagination of how big a mix can be. Others are more spherical and round, expanding up and down just as much as wide and deep. The widest stage I have heard is the Orpheus, northing quite compares to how big and spacious it is, especially in the midrange. Guitars sound like they are panned extra far out, giving your music this sense of grandiosity and epic-ness I have yet to hear in other cables. The 50S has a large stage, but it keeps the instruments a bit closer and more intimate and instead stretches the reverb and tiny details further out of your head, which is a bit more like how one would hear things live. Vocals are placed right above your head in the center, guitars and drums fill out the space around you like you’re sitting inside the band rather than a few seats back. I hear all kinds of reverb, space, decay and fine details stretching waaay out in space allowing the instruments to occupy the center, and all that space wraps around your head. This is especially evident using the Jewel, which has a large spherical stage already, which is further amplified to great effect. If memory serves me correctly, when I owned the Traillii the stage with the 50S was amazing, keeping the wide space it’s know for, but confining the instruments more to the center giving the sound great weight and midrange focus, but never giving up one iota of air and width. It was quite intoxicating, and I actually preferred the 50S over the stock Traillii cable, or really anything except for the Orpheus. The 50S stage is big, airy, open and grand, but never too stretched out. Instruments have great placement and layering, I never have difficulty picking out anything minute details even in some crazy crowded music.


To compare, again the Orpheus has the widest stage most notably in the midrange. It is indeed amazing and grand, very impressive especially with the Traillii, total 3D immersion. The Brise 8W is the closest to the 50S in terms of stage, they both place instruments at the center and then give off a huge expansive stage all around. One might call them more intimate, but I feel that is missing the point, this isn’t about width, it’s about the shape of the space as well. FTS has a slightly narrower stage, and not as deep as Orpheus, but on par in "size" to 50S. OTL has a very tall stage but less in the depth and width department, and it thins out as things get higher resulting in less weight to the notes. This could also be why it feels almost endless in the stage at the top end, it just goes off to infinity. If I had to try and describe the 50S stage I would say a circle, it all seems to start at the center and float outwards at even lengths resulting in a lovely circular stage in all directions. The Orpheus would be more like an oval, hugely circular, but with the midrange stretching out at the widest edges. FTS would be a narrower oval, with the high and low end stretching a bit further but keeping the mids more intimate. The OTL would be a reverse pyramid, the high end having the largest and most space and getting smaller and more intimate as it goes downwards. Note weight would be the opposite, where the low end is the most thick, and it gets thinner and leaner as it goes up.



All these cables have extremely black backgrounds. Notes pop out of nowhere, bringing a sense of micro details and space. The Brise, Orphy, FTS and 50S all feature additional shielding and therefor have the blackest backgrounds. If I was forced to choose I would probably give this to Brise, their multi layered shielding technique is one of their brands defining traits and it is implemented to perfection here. The PW shielding magic is very very impressive on its own, so you can’t really go wrong here. The OTL is unshielded, and while the background is dark it’s not on the same level as the others. During my time with the OTL I never noticed a lack there, but when I A/B’ed with the others it was noticeable. All the PW Shielding cables have extremely black backgrounds and notes float in a sea of pitch black space. With well recorded modern music it is quite amazing, that ultra pitch black background - sometimes I thought I forgot to press play it’s so quiet. But then the music starts and I am enveloped in a cavernous sonic blanket of wowzers - to coin a phrase.








FEEL AND BUILD - Going purely on an ergonomic and cosmetic basis the 50S has a rather unique look to it. Coming adorned with that PW Magic shielding covering up to the Y split, above we see the bare grey matte wires that to me scream Cardas. They are reasonably soft and pliable, a bit plasticky before they break in, but going over the ears and sitting nicely. The other PW cables feature colored paracord sheathing which I always found to be quite comfortable once it breaks in and gets soft. Nice to the touch, and satisfying my musician’s need for cables to be extremely resistant to ware and tear. In terms of hardware we have the newer versions of PW’s black hardware, identical to FTS and Orphy, something I have mentioned many times as a great positive. I love the PW hardware, especially how small and low profile there were able to make the 2-pin connectors. At the end is an official Pentaconn5 4.4mm plug wrapped with the PW logo on a small piece of shrink wrap. Normally I don’t think TOTL cables should have any shrink - I’m talking about you Brise - but it’s quite small and gives the cable an extra bit of security while plugging and unplugging. My only issue with the 50S is the chin cinch doesn’t work well, and more often than not I find it down by the Y-split. It uses the same cinch as all the other PW cables, but because the bare wires are thinner it doesn’t hold well. That could be solved easily with the Pentaconn slider sold my Electech, which is a super cool accessory. Or you might not care, just wanted to mention it.










Comparing ergo with this group of cables is not an easy one. With the exception of the OTL which is lovely to use and very light and comfy, the rest are big thick monsters. None of them are really “comfortable” when you think about the size of most standard cables. The OTL is vastly smaller and lighter, not even in the same league for ergonomics, far better. That being said, I never had an issue with the ergo of the Orphy, or the other PW Shielding cables for that matter - I wear them out and about every day. A lot of my listening is walking around, sitting in the tram, train or plane while traveling. Perhaps I am a weirdo, but it never really bothered me, and the SQ I get was always worth it. The 50S has a smaller gauge wire, so it is noticeably thinner. While it’s not a light cable by any stretch of the imagination, it is thinner and lighter than Orphy and FTS which are identical here, maybe 35% or so. The 50S is definitely the most comfortable of the PW bunch, simply based on physics: it coils up smaller, sits on the ear lighter, just a smaller cable. If anyone has tried the PW Shielding cables and had issues with weight, the 50S is indeed more manageable while still retaining the robust and industrial look and feel the shielding provides.








That leaves the Brise, which I am torn about. It is really thick and stiff, and has this rubbery feel to it. Once you get it situated and placed I found it to basically disappear, as the ear hooks are so big the cable more or less floats above your ear. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was wearing this thick rubbery snake on my neck, and moving around or walking about was much less comfortable for me. And then there’s that shrink. The cable itself is fairly soft and pliable, but my 8W came with 7 inches of extra shrink wrap around the 4.4mm in no less than 5 layers! The 2 pins are so covered you can’t see them or really adjust the ear hooks from all the layers of shrink. Why? The magic shielding is in the cable itself, so this is just security I guess, it seems hugely unnecessary to me. I actually (carefully) removed most of the extra shrink from the 4.4mm plug and the handling was instantly improved ten fold. I could even coil it up in a standard case. I totally get the insane levels of shielding, for SQ is fantastic, but the shrink is rather ridiculous. It just looks and feels cheap to me. I’m all for simplicity, I think it’s even preferred for my tastes, but this goes a bit too far for a cable costing almost $3k. It is a bummer, as I know quite a few 8W owners that sold it based on this alone. I know Brise is often praised for their build quality, but for the 8W specifically I would have to politely disagree on that, especially compared to the Orphy and Co. Sorry if I make anyone angry, I am just trying to be honest.


What I am trying to say while rambling here, is that all these cables (OTL aside) have their compromises in terms of ergo - and you are the only one who can decide what it is worth for you. Orphy and Brise 8W might be the highest performing cables in this group, but Orphy/FTS win by a mile on ergo over the Brise. But the Brise SQ is fabulous, and for some could even beat the Orphy in technicals. The 50S is even better than Orphy, and OTL is the lightest and easiest.








And so, here we are at the conclusion. There really is so much great stuff to choose from in the TOTL cable arena right now, all these cables are incredible. They’re also all stupid expensive, the 50S being the “cheapest “ of the bunch at a measly $2400 in hard earned cash. The build costs vs sale price is insane and those responsible for this epidemic of price gauging should be severely punished for eternity, but I digress. I purposely wrote this review completely devoid of cost comparisons, because I feel the SQ, staging, and resolving powers we are talking about here can be contemplated beyond the price tag. That doesn’t mean I am saying sell a kidney to buy the Orphy, quite the contrary. What I find to be so interesting is just how well the 50S fares against the GOAT cables on trial here. In many ways it beats them all in certain areas, depending on the tuning you prefer of course. All that with the lowest price tag of the bunch - I find that very interesting indeed.


Some of you may have read my extensive reviews of both FTS and OTL. I loved them both to pieces, and nearly bought them both at different times. The only thing that stopped me was how they accentuated certain areas, pushed the FR out of balance, (by design for sure) and that pure and magical balance that haunted my dreams was somehow missing. The Brise is already a legend, unbelievably good sound, but for many the wear comfort and ergo might be the nail in the coffin. THE FTS is fabulous, but that extra notch of treble energy ad the sharper transients were not totally to my liking. The 50S stands alone for me in some way, I loved it so much I bought it twice. It has that perfect balance I was searching for, top notch technicals and the best ergo of the fatty shielding cables I tried. After spending a lot of time with the cables featured here, and owning the Orpheus, I think the 50S just might be the best cable you can buy for the price. That is a bold statement, I know. Get out your pitchforks. The Orpheus is amazing, and I do miss it sometimes, I just might buy it again down the road. But for less than half its price I find the 50S to offer 95% of its abilities, in a thinner, lighter, and more neutral uncolored tuning that works with absolutely anything I throw at it. The Orphy brought me to tears more than once, but in certain pairings it was a bit too thick and lacking extension. The 50S is a tad less musical but it works for anything, the Chameleon. I prefer the 50S’ tuning over the FTS even with it's similar technical prowess, and to me the 50S has a touch more cleanliness. The OTL is fabulous, but a bit ethereal sounding for me, and it brings too much emphasis to the treble for my ears. The Brise 8W is amazing, hugely musical and extremely resolving, but ultimately uncomfortable and stiff. I find the 50S to portray everything evenly, with ultra clear precision and amazing detail, never steering too far away from natural. That deeply resolving nature is its calling card - you probably understand by now why they call it Cardas Clear. Like a pane of glass, you can see EVERYTHING. That’s the Cardas way, their magic sauce, extreme resolution without losing out on musicality. It does it damn well in my opinion, perhaps better than anything else available.


Can I recommend it to others? Hell yeah I can. It just may be the most future proof cable investment you could make, since it plays so well with anything you pair it with. Any IEM will perform at its highest potential. It won’t give you ultra boosted bass or sparkle for days, that you can find elsewhere for less. The 50S’ superman power is the balance. Uncolored yet undeniably musical, it receives my highest recommendation.


Thanks for reading!

Hello dear friends, I am pleased to share with you my review of the Viking Ragnar from Noble Audio. This is one hotly anticipated IEM, having been on the scene only for a short while, and I was really excited to hear it for myself. The original Viking is legend but sadly no longer made, so thankfully Noble decided to revive the line with an updated, and happily for the rest of us, much cheaper version for the masses. Gone is the full Damascus steel body, instead the Ragnar features an aluminum body with a Damascus faceplate, keeping in the same vibe and vein, but cutting the price in half. Boasting an impressive array of tech inside, these are some startlingly resolving IEMs to say the least, with best in class abilities and sound. They have a huge sound stage, ridiculous levels of detail, deep textured bass, impeccable mids and soaring highs. Needless to say I was very impressed right from the start. Are they the best thing I have ever heard? You’ll have to keep reading to find out

Before we get into the nitty gritty let me quickly state my due diligence:

Firstly I would like to thank @MusicTeck for asking me to review these and for sending me a demo to do so. I was provided with said unit for testing purposes, after which time I had to send it back for others to enjoy. I was not required in any way to provide a favorable review, only to share my experiences and feelings about it. My demo unit came in an unmarked soft case and only included the IEMs, the stock cable and one set of generic tips. I cannot detail the retail packaging or the unboxing experience as I didn’t have any of that to begin with. I do know from my own research that the Ragnar comes with a nice Nanuk hardcase and all the usual accessories befitting an IEM of this price point, so I will focus only on the sound.

***After a full burn-in of 150+ hours, I did all my testing with the LP6 Ti AE. I had the PW Orpheus and First Times Shielding as additional cables to experiment with. Something to note, the Ragnar has a bit of a name for itself as being on the colder and leaner side, a fact that could vary greatly dependent on the source you use. As with all IEMs, synergy is paramount, but I feel with the Ragnar even more so. As I was using the LP6, which is itself quite warm and full bodied (adding in the PW Copper cables to boot), this has definitely affected my experience with the Ragnar, so as always YMMV. ***

So let’s get into it shall we?









The Ragnar is a tri-brid IEM, with dual dynamic drivers for the bass, four balanced armatures for the mids and highs and a set of four EST for the super highs. The shells as explained before are made of aluminum while the faceplate is made from Damascus steel by master metalsmith Chris Ploof. Quoting the Viking official announcement the stock cable is “the Magnus - 4, includes Graphene, litz monocrystalline silver and copper silver alloy. The plug is 4.4 pentaconn while the two pin is silver-copper alloy.” I find the entire package to be a beautifully understated and modern achievement, without being pretentious in any way. In terms of styling and design these are right up my alley, bold yet reserved, dark but with enough contrast to stay interesting and catch the light. Priced at $4000 they are absolutely not cheap, are they worth it? We shall see. For more detailed specs on the Ragnar, I recommend you to visit their website here.

First off the Ragnar shells are exquisite. Some of the nicest I have ever seen, with beautiful detail work. The aluminum shells are painted black, and fitted with the one of a kind Damascus faceplates which are really stunning, especially in person. I was curious if they would impress me when I finally got them in my hands, and I was happy to find they were even more lovely in person than expected. A gorgeous quasi batman combination of matte black and shiny steel, very cool indeed. In traditional Noble fashion, there are runes etched into the black shell, just under the faceplate in a ring around the entire shell. The shell itself is carved and ribbed, instead of being completely smooth, but I can attest that they extremely well made. They were also heavier than I expected, while not crazy heavy, the all metal construction definitely isn’t weightless. They are medium large but well shaped - with one caveat. Noble decided to make the spout angle slightly upwards instead of straight out, resulting in, at least for me, the IEM not sitting inside my ear but being forced outside and up. Without a tip installed they do rest inside my ear rather flush, but the tip of the nozzle spout hits the inside of my ear canal just barely, meaning in order to seal and be comfortable the IEM had to sit outside my ear, relying entirely on the tip to hold it in place. Not ideal for a heavier all metal beast such as the Ragnar. This is of course down to personal anatomy, I have kind of small ears, but it was a bummer nonetheless. Now this type of fit didn’t cause discomfort in and of itself, but I would have preferred this beautiful work of art to sit somewhat flush(ish) in my ear, and no matter of fidgeting or wiggling could get them to settle in. I actually made my ears a bit raw from repeatedly trying so hard as I really wanted them to fit me, but in the end I was forced to just let them hang out and wiggle in the wind. I imagine that other sized ears or ears shapes would perhaps not have this problem, just know that this angled spout could potentially lead to some fit issues as well. I did try quite a few tips, and all had the same, or similar, problem for me. I eventually came to favor the Spinfit W1 for reasons of sound, they provided the largest stage and least restricted frequencies.




The stock cable is quite nice; supple, soft and lovely as well. It features a clear jacket, underneath you can clearly see the gleaming matte silver wires in all their glory. It also features some nice matte aluminum hardware with polished ring accents - the 2 pins remind me of Eidolic connectors, while the 4.4mm is an official Pentaconn connector. The Y split is a fairly minimal barrel with Noble etched in the side, again understated but lovely. There was little memory effect, no microphonics, and I found the cable quite comfortable for extended listening. My only gripe with the cable would be that the chin cinch does basically nothing, no matter how tight I got it up by my neck, I found it had slid down by the Y split every time. I did do a lot of my testing with my PW copper cables, and while I will get into the sound aspects in a little bit, it is fair to say I preferred these, despite the stock cable being very resolving and of flagship level quality.

One last thing that did disappoint me right off, my demo unit already had some noticeable scratches on the shell, and part of the black paint had come off. For an IEM that’s only been in the hands of a few people, and couldn’t be more than a month or two old, this isn’t great for the long term as a show of quality. Of course I don’t know how it was handled, but for an IEM of this price point I would expect the finish to hold up for more abuse than that.







So, the sound.

These are some seriously resolving IEMs, holy shnikeys! From the moment I put them in my ears I was totally blown way by their sheer abilities. A friend told me they made his Jewel sound somewhat veiled, which I of course snickered at, but I do agree it’s an effect you may notice upon first listen. I am not here to say these are better than the Jewel, not at all, but in terms of absolute resolution I haven’t heard an IEM that brings this much crazy minute, ultra fine detail before. They are definitely a more critical listening analytical set, so do keep that in mind. That’s not to say they aren’t musical, but they err on the side of technical over romantic for sure. They have a huge stage, probably not quite as wide as Traillii but very large for sure, especially in the spherical and vertical aspects. They just go off into space, very impressive. Imaging, positioning and placement - all flagship level. After reading some initial impressions, the words “sibilant”, “peaky”, “lean” and “cold” were floated around - not keywords I usually associate my favorite gear with. So when I first put them in my ears I also noticed, yes, these are indeed kind of bright. But I would perhaps use the phrase “treble focused” instead of bright, as the Ragnar really does focus your attention to the top end more so than the lows, instead of being just “bright” which has a negative connotation for most. And yes, in truth, the Ragnar is a bit cold and lean. Using my LP6 AE the cold and/or lean didn’t bother me much, but this is a warm and thick DAP to begin with. I could imagine that with a very neutral source this could be a bit of a deal breaker for some, unless of course they prefer the leaner-cleaner thing to begin with. I will say I personally think the stock cable was perhaps not the right choice, I would have instead opted for something perhaps more copper based. While I think the signature will appeal to some, this could have been an all rounder for the masses with a different stock cable, but what do I know. Noble sure has been around a lot longer than I have. In fairness, the Ragnar is indeed more than the sum of its parts and I don’t want to force anyone’s opinion too far from center without having the chance to explain further. I’ll try to go one piece at a time, and then you all can make up your minds at the end.





BASS - Funny enough the Ragnar bass was touted as a bit shy and lean, and I didn’t find that at all. Yes, the quantity might not please the absolute bass heads, but in terms of quality this is some of the best bass I have ever heard in an IEM. The punch, control, depth and texture are remarkable! Seriously, I was totally in love from the moment I first heard that low end. I would call it linear yes, with perhaps an ever so slight tilt northward, but that doesn’t mean it won’t thump when you need it to. What I adored was its uncanny ability to get out of the way when not called for, keeping the rest of the spectrum gorgeously open and unfettered. But when called for it came back with serious depth, control and slam. When listening to jazz I found the bass quantity to be perfect, keeping a more reference linear tuning on the whole of the spectrum. It was only when listening to more bass featured music that I found the lesser quantity to be noticeable, but only just so. It actually didn’t bother me, I instead came to appreciate the nuanced tuning, especially when switching back to other IEMs - only to find them rather bass heavy for a brief moment. Of course that is just a symptom of A/B’ing, and after some back and forth that acclimated itself, but I think it bares mentioning. I think for many this type of bass tuning would totally satisfy. Honestly the quality is tremendous, and Noble should be very very proud of what they have accomplished here. I would have to admit that in terms of pure tonality, texture, and abilities the Ragnar’s bass outperforms the Jewel which is saying something.

CABLE A/B - Using either the FTS or Orpheus I did hear an improvement in the bass all around for my preferences. It became more assertive, more thunderous, and more out in front. It reached deeper, flushed out more, and hit harder. It dominated the scene more than with the stock, instead of being slightly timid or reserved in the background. Of the two PW cables I preferred the FTS pairing in fact, it kept the tactile and punchy tones, while rounding out the low end and bringing it more in line with the rest of the spectrum. The Orpheus was more bloomy, and for such an agile and clean IEM I felt that the FTS was simply a better fit.





MIDS - Ragnar has a wonderful midrange. Slightly forward, with more weight on the lower mids than upper but only by a bit. All around the note weight was good, with plenty of heft and body to create a realistic and artful presentation. As I mentioned earlier the resolution of these IEMs is totally crazy, and this is heard in spades in the midrange. Every single nuance and minute detail is brought forward in a natural and cohesive way. The level of micro details and tiny flecks of sonic material are just hanging there for you to grab out of the air. There is a slight uptick in upper mid energy - I wouldn’t say a spike - but there is additional energy there. It could be said that the mids are the star of the show, not in terms of tuning - as the high end definitely steals the show in pure volume - but the best part of the Ragnar is its mids. They are clear, open and clean. Transients are fast, articulate and crisp. They do lean on the slightly colder side, and while there is good weight they are not exactly thick either. They are not romantic mids, but musical for sure. This is not Mason FS or even Jewel mids, they are less warm and more lean, but wowed me just the same. There is just a massive amount of detail there, even with my usual reference sets like Jewel and 18t, they both seem slightly veiled in comparison. Now, that being said, too much of a good thing isn’t always better. While I do enjoy being able to hear absolutely everything, in crystalline clear stereophonic sound, there is a limit to which my ears and brain can handle. I think my threshold is quite high already, but after some time with the Ragnar I found the sheer level of detail to numb me down a bit, and while it was always natural, it could be tiring. Not in the sense of peaks or harshness, just know that after some time these IEMs can wear down your senses a bit. These are analytical/clean IEMs, and they come for you whether you’re in the mood or not.

CABLE A/B - Swapping in the FTS or Orpheus and the mids are warmed up, they gain some girth and weight, and sound more pleasant to my ears. I didn’t hear any loss in details, only a more musical, daresay relaxed presentation that lightened up some of the overly critical/analytical qualities from before. I also heard the upper mid energy tamed down some and smoothed out which I preferred. While the Orpheus has the biggest spread out mids, and a step above FTS in terms of pure resolution, I found myself again preferring the FTS much to my surprise. It all amounts to synergy, and while I prefer the Orpheus 99% of the time, I think this is the cable for these IEMs.





TREBLE - Now we’re gonna get into it. If you’ve ever read my previous reviews, it’s no secret that I have a sensitivity to treble. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it, or I like dark tonalities, it’s only that when it’s too much then it’s really too much for me. I have in recent times been pushing that limit, stretching what I find comfortable, and I have found that I can enjoy a great deal more than I used to. So please keep this is mind when I say that the Ragnar has too much treble. The treble is of outstanding quality - detailed, airy, shimmering and glistening. It reaches up to the heavens, and has insane levels of detail and resolution continuing up from the mids. I could even say it’s perhaps the best treble I have heard, or at least one of the best. There is simply too much of it. It’s not harsh or peaky at all, it’s very smooth and natural. Not “bright”, “treble focused”, remember? Some will disagree with me, and that’s totally fine. I would just like to say honestly to anyone reading this, if you are at all sensitive, or even don’t like a lot of treble, this could be the end of the line for you, like it was for me. The slightly colder tuning didn’t really bother me here, nor did the reference/analytical nature. These are things I really enjoyed about the Ragnar. It was the sheer amount of treble that brought the whole thing overboard. Music genre will play a role here, and depending on what you listen to this emphasized treble region could be less intrusive. When I listened to jazz, acoustic music, and some vocal stuff the treble didn’t bother me as much, and while it wasn’t my preferred presentation I could handle it. But put on some rock, any heavier styles of music and I found the Ragnar mostly unlistenable. Electronic was hit or miss, some was stellar but most of the time I was again overwhelmed with the level of high end. Now I know some people like this kind of thing, crave it even, and for anyone that really loves their treble this just might be the best IEM in the world right now. But I think for some it will simply be too much emphasis on the treble, regardless of how good it is. I cannot stress enough that this is my personal opinion, my personal tastes and my personal library - so take what I say with a grain of salt please, and not as fact.

CABLE A/B - I tried my go-to KBear07 tips that take a bit of the edge off, but that wasn’t enough and they killed the vertical stage, one of the most impressive things about the Ragnar. The Orpheus’ top end rolloff had the same negative staging effect, and despite my expectations, it still remained too much. The stock cable has the most treble focus of all, and again I venture to say that for the majority of people this might not have been the best choice of pairing. While it is highly resolving and clear, it puts too much attention to the treble, and accentuates the upper mid bump a bit as well. Funny enough I still preferred the FTS out of all the cables I had available, even with it’s additional treble energy. I don’t know why, but somehow it sounded the most coherent and balanced of the three.




COMPARISONS - How does the Ragnar place among its other well deserved brethren? As far as TOTL goes, I only have the Jewel on hand at this very moment, and memory is a fleeting thing, so I will limit myself to what I can attest to concretely. I hope this can be helpful to those that might be curious between the two.

JEWEL VS RAGNAR - I had the chance to AB these two for a period of a week or so, and spoiler alert I preferred the Jewel hands down. That isn't to say that the Ragnar might have bested it a few areas, but as a cohesive whole the Jewel simply fit my tastes more.

These are both highly resolving and neutral tuned IEM at their roots. They could both be considered reference, while the Jewel is more musical and even, the Ragnar is more cutting edge and clean. They both have best in show abilities, and present music in an impactful and impressive way. Compared to other IEMs they could also both be considered on the lean side, and analytical too, so keep that in mind.

The Jewel has a more impactful and boosted bass which will jive with most people more, but I do feel the texture and abilities of the Ragnar bass is not to be trifled with. Ragnar may best the Jewel in raw deep tonality alone, although the tuning of Jewel's bass is more to my liking, and I would bet of popular opinion as well. For mids the Ragnar does outdo the Jewel in pure resolution, but I find the Jewel's slight warmth and additional weight here to be more suited for me in the long run. Instruments seem more real and analog on the Jewel, where the Ragnar is more cold, calculated and lean. The Jewel is certainly not lacking in the resolution department, and for extended listening it is simply more enjoyable to my ears for the majority of my library. They both feature a slight uptick in the upper mids, neither is bothersome to me. The Jewel is, dare I say romantic compared to the Ragnar, and while the clarity and resolution is very impressive I will stick to my guns and repeat that the Jewel has the best mids in the business. Jewel has soul, (at least as it compares to the mighty Viking) while the Ragnar has surgical power and microscopic detail retrieval. Some might prefer the thicker mids of the Mason FS or RH, but as an all rounder the Jewel ticks all my boxes - detail, emotion, accurate timbre, it's the whole package. In the high end the Ragnar has a lot more treble, but also more vertical height and sparkle compared to the rather reserved Jewel. I wouldn't mind if the Jewel had a bit more of an open top end, but the Ragnar is too much in that direction. Never have I felt the Jewel to be too intense, too bright or too lean, which is more than I can say for the Ragnar with certain types of music.

Stage wise the Ragnar is wider, while the Jewel is more spherical, and perhaps with better positioning because of it. In a similar vein to the Traillii, Ragnar throws sound waaay out into the left and right, while the Jewel puts you right in the middle of it, while still retaining a great stage size and feel.

Which do I prefer? They are both fantastically featured IEMs, they both posses great ability and resolution. Great bass, great mids, great stages. The thing that will most greatly separate the two is how they render treble, and the warmth/weight, or lack thereof to the entire spectrum. Only you can decide what you prefer, but if I was asked to honestly recommend one, the Jewel would be my pick.


CONCLUSION - So, is it the best I have ever heard? Well, in terms of raw resolution, abilities and potential, then yes I can honestly say the Ragnar is groundbreaking. The performance is staggering, and if nothing else they are very very impressive. My personal fit issues aside, they are beautiful and very well made - with the small instance of the easily scratched black shell. I loved the bass, especially its slightly shy nature and texture for days. Mids were really great, while not my exact preference for tuning, they were very impressive and seriously enjoyed. The treble quality was indeed fabulous, very airy and spacious with great detail. Sounds like the greatest thing in the world right? Even with the LP6 Ti AE, the ultimate instrument of warm and romantic, it was just too much. It really is a shame, at least for me, as I was quite taken with this IEM - but all that great stuff melded with a somewhat excessively enhanced treble, and you have a recipe for a top level performer that will appeal but to a select few, at least in my very personal opinion. In closing, the Ragnar is hugely impressive, but I would absolutely recommend a demo before you consider buying one.

If you do decide you want one, I recommend getting it from Andrew at Musicteck, he's the best in the biz. You can find it here:
https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/noble

Thank you all for reading

Greetings fellow Head-fiers, and welcome to my review of the Eletech Ode To Laura. I was lucky enough to be part of the demo process in the building stages of this cable, and I’d like to give a quick shout-out to @Eric Chong , who is quite possibly the nicest guy in the business. It was a great honor for me to be asked to be a part of this experiment, and it was super cool for an experienced cable maker such a he to imply such a back to roots approach on a new product - kudos there. Eric also happens to make beautiful work, lust worthy cables that sounds just a beautiful as they look. Intricate works of art that place almost as much attention to visual details as they do their custom wiring structures and exotic sourced components. I did a guest review for the Illiad over at Bloom Audio, I’ve tried the Aeneid extensively, and now for a full circle, I’m now sharing my thoughts on Eletech’s newest masterpiece - the Ode To Laura.

Let’s get a few things out of the way first. Firstly, I would like to thank Andrew at @MusicTeck for asking me to review the OTL, and for providing me with a demo unit. I had to send the cable back after my review process, and nothing was asked of me other than to share my thoughts and experiences completely independent of any pressure or influence. Sadly I could not keep the OTL, as I grew to love it very quickly, but I digress. Second, I find that there are two types of people when it comes to cables, some that find it makes a noticeable difference in their signal chains, and others find that it absolutely doesn’t and it’s a waste of time and money. It isn’t my position here to convert or try to convince anyone of anything, so if you don’t believe in cable upgrades that’s fine, but perhaps this review won’t be terribly useful to you, unless you like to hear an ultra nerd endlessly rant about high end audio. This is also an extremely expensive cable, and therefor my review is based on sound, and sound alone. If you think spending ~$3700 on a cable is crazy, you’re right! But we’re all crazy here

Lastly, a quick word about reviews, if I may: I cannot stress enough that this is my personal opinion. This is a review based on my personal preferences and especially my library, something that has a huge effect on the outcome of a review, which we should all keep in mind. What sounds great for someone who specializes in classical or hip hop might not work for the metal head, hardcore jazzer, or someone who only listens to acoustic music…etc ad infinitum. I for one have incredibly eclectic tastes, I listen to just about everything, and will try to be as even keeled as possible when I give my opinions when it comes to this cable, so that it can be of greatest use to those that take the time to read it.

All testing done with Jewel and Viking Ragnar on LP6 Ti AE. A full burn-in of 150+ hours was done as well.

With all that out of the way, let’s get started!




For comparison purposes I had with me the PW First Times Shielding and Orpheus Shielding, two of the best pure copper flagship cables available, to see how the OTL stacks up, and where it just might be different enough to not only compete, but hold its own among these famous beats. The OTL is very musical, energetic, resolving and detailed. It has that baked in Eletech house sound, so if you’re a fan you surely won’t be dissapointed with this one. Spoiler alert, while the OTL is a pure copper cable, and it does indeed have the traditional values and signature of a pure copper flagship, it performs more like a hybrid. I mean that in a very good way - while the FTS and Orpheus are staggering examples of pure copper, the OTL takes it in a slightly different direction, while keeping true to the copper family. I will explain further, but first the packaging.




For anyone that has read my past reviews, I am not about the packaging and unboxing process in the least. Box goes right to the closet or closest bookcase available after I take the goodies out. No need to go into it further for me, others like this stuff and I prefer to let them do it instead. Occasionally I do find packaging that really wows me, bears mentioning, and therefor I take a moment to call out the special design and work that went into the display of a product. The OTL is one of these, as the packaging is not only extremely well designed, beautiful to boot, but it’s also chock full of goodies not expected from a simple audio cable. Firstly the cable comes in a box that, in keeping with the traditional Electech vibe, is impressive and chock full of cues from Greek gods and mythic imagery. The elaborate cutouts in the box, the fine details, they go a long way to convey the time and passion it took to design this packaging. The cable itself comes in a gorgeous leather puck style case, with a zipper as well as a button/clasp - I wonder why other manufacturers don’t add this as well, I never thought of it before, but it’s a great idea. Kudos again Eric. There is also a metal serial number card, and a cable strap made the same leather as the case, also emblazoned with the Electech log, a very nice touch. There is also a gorgeous gold coin, with a greek god etched into the surface - not really necessary but an eye catching attention to detail nonetheless. Lastly, you get a Pentaconn chin slider, a very welcome addition, as none of the previous Eletech cables came with anything which drove me crazy, I like to cinch the cable tight up against my neck. This Pentaconn slider is also made of some crazy materials which supposedly help to shield the cable from RF frequencies and giving a darker background, I am not sure about that, I didn’t test it. It does work super well as a slider, and it’s pretty cool looking too, so I’m happy.







In a vast oversimplification catch all, this is a very high quality copper cable. A true flagship in my opinion, with best in class sonics, wonderful ergonomics and a very classy look. It is very impressive, both sonically and aesthetically. I do personally prefer a more understated look vs the shiny stuff, and while some of Eletech’s previous flashy cables push the limits to what I would be comfortable wearing in public, the OTL is dark, brooding, elegant and lush. You can see the gorgeous copper braids underneath the clear jacket, and while it isn’t quite as supple as other Eletech offerings owing to its larger cable gauge, it is very soft and I found it to disappear all day while wearing. The hardware is beautiful, polished black aluminum with subtle copper contrast cues throughout - the Y split and 4.4mm plus are some of the most intricate I’ve ever seen. Really gorgeous, and this coming from a guy who normally likes it mate black and functional only, I give credit where it’s due. Speaking of ergonomics, especially compared to the PW shielding cables, it is night and day when it comes to on the ear comfort, no question there. The OTL is vastly thinner and lighter, no comparison really. While I personally don’t mind the PW feel, and I dig the blacked out looks, it was a refreshing notion that I could get top notch sound without the weight and girth I am used to.

So let’s get into the sound shall we?

This is a really fantastic sounding cable. This is world class stuff, pure copper with a modern twist. The OTL really performs more like an exotic hybrid than PC, with tons of energy and punch, tight visceral bass, gorgeous warm mids, and that signature Eletech top end gold sparkle. That’s not to say it doesn’t sound like copper, that it has in spades, but there is a modern twist, a stroke of speed, energy and excitement that I don’t normally hear in copper cables. While the FTS has some extra energy up top, I found the OTL to be more energetic overall, and more modern sounding compared to the FTS which is more relaxed. The OTL has a slightly more intimate staging, not small but not overly large either, focusing the layering, details and emotion right up front. The vertical staging is very impressive, with the top end seemingly going off into endless space, but the placement of the instruments width wise is more on the intimate side. Imaging is top notch as well. The background is dark, not as pitch black as the shielded PW cables, though you have the trade-off of far more ergonomic handling, and way less microphonics. I found the OTL overall to be a bit triangle shaped, where the lowest frequencies are the biggest, and as you go up everything gets thinner, loss body, and more airy. Perhaps that’s true of other cables as well, it just struck me with the OTL- a solid structure that flows up to the heavens treading lighter the higher you get. Perhaps that’s also what I mean by modern sounding.




BASS - The OTL has some of, if not the best bass I have ever heard in a cable. Hands down, it’s daammmmmn good. Shockingly tight and punchy, reaching deeper and with greater authority than my PW comparison cables in fact. The texture is oh so satisfying, and I found on certain tracks that are quite bass featured, like D’Angelo, FKJ or Emancipator, I was totally blown away by the rumble and pump I got in my chest. Bring on acoustic bass and the tonality was perfect, with a slight featuring of sub-bass over mid bass, so it never got congested on bleeding into the lower mids. There is phenomenal control, and punch for days, outdoing the FTS I reviewed just a few weeks ago ( in which I quoted it as having the punchiest bass I had heard in a copper cable). I would say that quantity is slightly elevated over neutral, so it gets out of the way when not called for, but bring in some bass heavy tracks and you’ll notice it. I had some spellbinding moments for sure, focusing more on the bass that I usually do- that texture, that grunt, that analog goodness, it was truly remarkable. Both Jewel and Ragnar greatly benefitted from the bass improvements the OTL brought. Jewel got more authority, deeper reach and better texture. The Ragnar is more bass neutral and the slight uptick in bass quantity gave the low end a bit more power and presence, while the texture was really very impressive. Ragnar + OTL bass quality is ridiculously good, just needs to be said.

MIDS - The mids are where the OTL begins to “break with tradition”. Overall the mids are ever so slightly forward. While the lower mids are nicely weighted, warm and punchy, the upper mids are smooth but somewhat pulled back and thinner. This results is a very powerful low end, where guitars and synth instruments have wonderful analog girth and tonality, but vocals sound quite ethereal and even wispy. I say this as a matter of fact, rather than a critique, as for some this is exactly what they look for. The mids on the whole are lovely, very detailed with great resolution. The upper mids are smoother, velvety and with a lot of air, thought I will admit that it isn’t exactly the most true to life tuning. Male vocals are rich and full, but female vocals -or nasal male vocals- sound a bit thinner and pulled back, giving that ethereal quality that takes it a bit out of reference for my tastes. For example, when listening to a guitar solo that starts lower on the neck I hear a true to life rendition of their tone, but as the solo builds and they play higher on the neck, the notes start to get thinner and less realistic. Perhaps thinner isn’t the operative word, I don’t want to paint a picture of thin and weak, it’s more that they get more delicate, more airy, and less body than further below. Both Jewel and Ragnar have exquisite mids, and the OTL helps them both to shine. While the Jewel is more even and reference in the mids, the Ragnar leans slightly more to the ethereal side, so with OTL I preferred Jewel vs Ragnar. That’s really just a personal preference thing of course. If you like the ethereal vibe the Ragnar and OTL mids presentation is quite stunning. The OTL did smooth out some of the pinna gain on the Jewel, which was nice on certain tracks.

TREBLE - This is where the OTL shines for days, literally. You could say that the Eletech sound puts special focus and attention to their treble and perhaps some could call the OTL bright on top, but I think it’s perfectly done considering the rest of the spectrum. It doesn’t sound out of place at all. The OTL treble is beautifully done, with a wonderful sense of air and space, with that trademark shimmer that feels like someone is sprinkling golden speckles in the air as they reflect light and dance about. I head this with the Illiad and Aeneid, but it was’t as gorgeous and convincing as the presentation here on the OTL. The vertical dynamics are lust worthy, and the staging here is ambitious to say the least. This is again not the most realistic, real to life tuning, focusing more on the ethereal and beautiful vs accurate. In no way meant as a critique, merely mentioning that for a true reference listener such a myself, I did find that it pulled me out of the bath of sonic bliss a few times when things didn’t sound quite like a knew them to be. While on some tracks the OTL was on the verge of too bright for me, I did find it extremely enjoyable, and some of the best treble I have heard. I mentioned earlier that there is a bit of an increase in treble energy with the OTL, but I would like to adjust my wording, as I find it more of a treble focus rather than an increase in treble energy. Yes, there is a good amount lot of treble, but the treble is smooth, natural and very easy to listen to. The FTS as a comparison, has a very smooth analog overall signature with an uptick in treble energy, which makes me notice it over the rest of the spectrum. The OTL has an energetic sound overall, with a focus on the treble, so while the focus is there I didn’t find the energy there to be out of place, or overly emphasized with the rest of the spectrum.






With that treble focus in mind, I think there are some genres of music that are best portrayed on the OTL. Anything electronic is “forgetaboutit, don’t pass go, just buy it” good. The combo of tantalizing bass texture, deep reach and rumble with that open top end and golden sparkle is simply badass. Modern jazz is also great too, in fact anything with a modern mastering sounds wonderful. Where I think some could have an issue is when true to life presentation is held most dearly. Where the OTL’s modern tuning could sway you back to traditional copper perhaps. Keeping in check my OCD tendencies and skills in nitpicking, the OTL is very musical and balanced sounding, this is just the last 5% or so. Finally, for some genres the OTL is not a great match, like heavier music. I found the less bodied upper mids and treble focus make most metal recordings rather hard to listen to.

IEM pairing could play a large role in your enjoyment of the OTL. With the Jewel it was wonderful, especially given the Jewel’s slightly underemphasized high end, adding in some sparkle and air up top. Mids were lovely, and its upper mid pinna gain was smoothed out some. Bass was enveloping, bringing out more of that DD flavor than I had heard with other cables. Jewel is slightly warm already, but I never felt it was overly warm with the OTL, just a great pairing. Honestly, this is one of the best cables you can get for the Jewel. With the Ragnar’s quite emphasized and possibly overly bright top end, I found the OTL to be unbearable at times. Crisp, smooth, clear yes, but too much treble emphasis for me, that’s for sure. The OTL did give the Ragnar that bit of needed warmth and bass boost, the low end texture and tonality was really off the chains good. In general this wasn’t the best matchup, I personally preferred the Ragnar with the FTS. With Jewel I found the OTL to be a fantastic pairing, I even preferred it over the FTS and Orpheus on some tracks. The energy and raw bass grunt was especially pleasing, and on bass featured tracks I hadn’t heard the Jewel sound so good. But when it comes to vocals, mid range focus and organic instruments I tended to prefer the FTS or Orpheus simply because they were more linear, and true to life. OTL mids are great, but they aren’t really the star of the show, that goes to the top and bottom. It really comes down the the presentation you prefer. I can easily think of a few fellow Head-fiers that would definitely prefer the OTL’s signature sound over the PW candidates.




So, in closing, I am sad to see the OTL go. I really, really enjoyed this cable, especially with my Jewel. I am a one-cable-per-IEM-guy, so this was quite a test for me; as I was listening I was honestly considering if it could dethrone the Orpheus for me. A testament to how good the OTL really is. I could personally pass on the lighter ethereal upper mids, but if I was to own several cables I would be very happy to have a different shade to play with. I will admit that sometimes OTL got a bit bright, even with the Jewel, but that was quite track dependent. Most of the time I found the OTL to be utterly musical, lively, and vastly enjoyable. For those who like amazing bass and a treble forward presentation this just might be the best cable on earth. Job well done Eric Chong, color me extremely impressed.

Greetings dear Head-fiers, I present to you my review of the fabled PW Audio First Times Shielding. I was very interested to hear this beast, as I have the Orpheus, and previously owned the original First Times as well. I was mostly looking for something that could keep the Orpheus’s analog goodness, with a little more high end air and sparkle, and less mid focus - something in between the Orphy and the brighter flavored Centurion. I previously reviewed the Centurion, and while I did really enjoy its micro detailed energetic presentation, ultimately I was still won over by the timbre, flavor, organic warmth and magic that is the Orpheus. While the Cent did have amazing levels of control, punch and clarity, I wanted something a bit closer to the Orphy, something more copper based. While I had the FT, and I did like it, and it did have more high end and less mid focus, I felt that it paled in comparison to the presentation and technical abilities of the Orpheus. Having heard rumors of how much the shielding version improved and changed the FT, I decided it was worth it to hear for myself. Spoiler alert, there is definitely something magic happening with the PW shielding… but more on the sound later.





The First Times Shielding, hereafter referred to as the FTS, is a pure copper flagship from PW Audio. It is supposedly using a similar wire structure and shielding process as used in the Orpheus, though it is NOT the same wire. For more information on the exact makeup and wire used you should visit the PW website for more info, which is here. Brief disclaimer, I paid for the FTS myself, though I did receive a discount for a review. I was not required in any way for a favorable review, just to present my impressions and feelings. On the subject of cables, some might find them to be snake oil, myth or smoke and mirrors, and those opinions are valid. For this review I won’t focus on that aspect, or on the fact that the cost for this particular cable is incredibly, ridiculously high. This is an ultra high end cable, and for those that believe in the upgrade cables offer, and who have ultra high end IEMs, and are looking for a way to squeeze every last drop of sonics out of their gear, this review might be for you. For those that don’t believe in the upgrade a cable gives, or if they feel a ton of cash for such a cable is’t worth it, this might not be the review for you, I won’t discuss it further as everyone is entitled to their opinion. This review will also focus on the similarities and differences with the Orpheus, Centurion and the original First Times, as that was why I bought the FTS in the first place. All testing done with the LP6 Ti AE and the Aroma Jewel, after 85hrs of burn-in as recommended by PWAudio. I wish to thank @MusicTeck for graciously offering me a discount on the cable for a review, I am honored.

Normally I don’t mention the unboxing experience; I get the gear, take it out of the box, and put said box in the closet. This was bit different, as the FTS has quite a lovely box, a blue leather presentation case unlike anything that I have ever personally opened. It is quite big, and I don’t know how many people will use it to display their cable, but it bears mentioning that it is quite impressive nonetheless. Inside the case, which as you open the case it unfolds like a flower, displays the traditional PWA black metal box adorned with the PW logo and FTS name laser inscribed on its surface. Impressive. It is a very beautiful way to present a product, thought I don’t personally care much about this, and would rather the price be lower instead. Enough said about the box.

So, with that out of the way, let’s get into it.





As expressed earlier, the FTS carries the similar wire structure as the Orpheus, and the same shielding. For anyone that hasn’t held a PW shielding cable in their hands, they are quite a piece of art in their own way. Instead of the traditional fancy sparkly wires you see on most cables, the PW stuff opts for the batman look, with muted colors, sleeved cables that hide their inside parts, and in this case the thick shielding with black nylon webbing. These shielding cables are heavy, dominant on your ears, and somewhat microphonic. This is par for the course with PW, they are all this way. But the sonics offered highly outweigh the difficulties in handling and ergonomics, at least to this guy’s preferences. I have no idea what is inside that shielding, but the difference it makes is quite stunning - pitch black background, sharp transients, notes that come at you out of complete empty space, it’s pretty wow. So yeah, they’re big and heavy, what to do. I also really like the look and feel of the PW cables, as I come from studio and guitar cables, they offer a sense of stability and sturdiness that the ultra thin and lightweight cables just can’t compete with. I really like the PW hardware too. For one it’s all black, yes, but they have a very utilitarian feel to them. Especially the 2 pin connectors, which are smaller than other brands, resulting in less bulk on the ears and a cleaner profile. I’m sure I’m in the monitory here, as most will wish for a lightweight and pretty thing, but I am drawn to the dark horse, where sound overwhelming takes precedence over form. While the Orpheus is midnight blue and black, the FTS has more a muted blue/grey sleeve, exactly the same as the original FT, with the inclusion of the shielding up the Y split. Visually they are quite similar, almost difficult to tell the difference from a few feet away, while of course the Centurion is the polar opposite; total bling and shiny titanium. One thing to note, while the Centurion is sleek, light and very flexible, I personally prefer the look of the PW cables even with the extra weight and girth.






As for the sound, which in my mind is the most important thing - Wow, this is one magic cable indeed! I did really like the FT, but I wasn’t blown away, not did I feel that it really compared to the Orphy. It was decidedly smooth, laid back, and while it had a nice sense of space and a big stage, the technicalities were just not on the same level, nor was the sense or energy and timbre. I can attest that after just a few minutes with the FTS it is a huge step up from the FT. Like a really big difference. Not only is the tuning different, the technical abilities and capabilities of the FTS are far and away above the FT. I don’t know what that shielding does, but it really adds something magic, on the same plane as the illustrious Orpheus. For those that are just skimming I will say it straight out, the FTS competes directly with the Orpheus and Centurion in terms of abilities, micro details and control. The same pitch black background. The same sense of dynamics. Notice that I didn’t say it was better, or even the same, but in terms of pure resolution and details I feel they are in the same class for sure. This is quite different to the original FT which I felt was easily outclassed here, so kudos to that magic shielding upgrade!






Upon first listen, I noticed right off the bat the air and space in the high end. For those that have not heard the Orphy, there can sometimes be a feeling that the high end is stunted, or too rolled off, compromising some of that air and openness. Not so with the FTS. The high end is wide open, with incredible levels of air and presence. The background is stunningly black, and transients are clean, crips and musical. Bass is tight, punchy and well controlled, similarly to the Cent and Orphy. While the FTS is a slightly brighter more open offering, never is it overly critical, analytical or sterile. It holds that copper warmth and weight, though the weight is not on the level of Orpheus, which depending on your tastes could be a good or bad thing. The stage is enormous, giving a full 3D presentation, with sound coming from all around you, especially above and behind. This is a very, very high resolution cable -perhaps even to a fault -but more on that later. In terms of tuning I would say the FTS lies in the middle of the Cent and Orphy, though leaning closer to the Cent’s clearer, more treble focused presentation, over the Orphy’s mid bass and mid featuring. Compared to the FT there is a lot more energy, all over. Especially the increase in treble energy and bass control are the two most outstanding points over the FT. It also has more sparkle, more details, more resolution, more bass control, more of everything.

To start the bass is phenomenal. Tight, punchy and with amazing levels of control. While it has less quantity than the Orpheus, the quality is the same. You are greeted with a level of control and speed that is remarkable, and every bit as good as the Orphy or Cent. It might even be faster and more punchy than Orphy actually, similar to the Cent in this way. Compared to the FT the bass is a huge step up in control, timbre, feel and punch. The FTS reaches deep, with great timbre and depth. There is less of a mid bass focus compared to Orpheus, focusing more own sub bass instead, letting its more neutral linear qualities shine through, starting in the lows and reaching all the way into the heavens unaltered. For those that consider themselves bass heads, the quantity might leave you wanting a bit more, but it is in no way lacking in the low end. I did occasionally wish for slightly more thump and rumble, especially on tracks that don’t feature bass prominently, but as the quality was always top tier, I enjoyed the clearer more open presentation instead of getting all held up in the “lack of rumble”. Again, for 99% of tracks I found the quantity to be great, and the quality is top tier in every way. Once more, if you are comparing the FTS to FT, the bass is just a lot better in ever way here, from the punch and control, to the unfettered reach and timbre. Bass on Cent and FTS is very similar, in both quality and quantity. FTS has perhaps slightly faster bass than Orpheus, which has more warmth and body to it, but the Orpheus bass envelops you, while the FTS is more held tight.




The midrange is lovely, incredibly detailed, and with startling resolution. While the tuning is linear, with the mids less forward and featured than the Orphy, they are great and clear. Again very similar to the Cent in this way, though decidedly more copper sounding, less intense and more warm and euphoric, at least as compared to Cent. This is where the FTS and FT are more closely comparable, tuning wise they are very similar here, but the FTS has a large increase in resolution, micro details and transient speed and attack. Vocals and instruments alike benefit greatly from the FTS’s resolution - honestly I think it may outperform the Orphy in pure resolution, but perhaps that is because they are less colored and linear. While the Orphy stretches out the stage on the mids, giving them incredible space, they are still very smooth and organic where the FTS takes a step again in the direction of Cent and makes them more energetic. There is a sense that you hear absolutely everything, with the small sacrifice of the utterly musical midrange of the Orphy, which can be overly midrange heavy for some, and more relaxed and analog, and perhaps more musical too. The FTS is linear mids at their best. While they do compare to the Cent’s bristling resolution, I find myself preferring the FTS midrange over the Cent by a decent margin. It bridges the gap between the two other cables, proving in a sense the best of both worlds if you had a problem with either. I’m not saying this is the perfect midrange, I would still give that to the Orpheus, but for a linear presentation of midrange I would say this is as good at it gets. Overall in the mids the FTS is more energetic, biting and crisp here, while the Orph goes for more of that analog vibe. In terms of weight, I still find that the Orph gives more body, thwack and grunt to drums and guitars, while the FTS and Cent are both leaner here, giving possibly more space but missing some of the glorious body. Vs the FTS, the Cent is similar, but more bright, possibly slightly more revealing, and less warm. The FT is similar but less resolution and details, less bite, less energy, though the tuning is roughly the same.


The high end is where the FTS really shines. There is amazing amounts of air and sparkle, with shimmering wispy details floating up into space. Comparing to the FT, there is a good amount more treble energy, while the sparkle is also increased. When I first started to listen I found the top end to be engaging, highly detailed and very impressive. But during longer listening sessions I did find the FTS to be slightly fatiguing in the high end. Depending on the pairing this could result in some IEMs being slight hotter on the top. For those that prefer a more energetic sound, this could win over some Orphy owners, as it is more engaging and open, giving the sound more bite and sparkle too. I found the sound stage in the top end to be magnificent, sound swirling all around, seemingly without end. I would attest that the high end might be closer to the house sound of Eletech cables, giving that sense of sprinkled gold flakes to the high end. While the FT did have great sparkle and high end, this just takes it up a few levels, especially in the energy department. To compare, the FTS and FT are similar here, where again the FTS has more sparkle, more bite, a good deal more energy and resolution. The Cent and FTS are pretty similar here too, while the FTS has the copper sound, Cent has that hybrid somewhat brighter sound. FTS and Orphy are quite different here, as the Orpheus is more subdued and analog in this region, rolled off even, especially compared to FTS and Cent. Where they differ the most is the energy infused to the high end. While the FT has great top end, it is decidedly more relaxed, whereas the FTS is very energetic here, possibly to a fault for some. There is an uptick around 8k or so that gives a lot of bite. If you’re using a bright IEM and don’t like too much treble energy this might not be the best pairing for you. Same goes for the Centurion, they both bring a good amount of treble energy and can cause some high end discomfort to those that might be prone to treble fatigue or sensitivity.





While the Orphy and FT are more “copper” sounding, more relaxed and analog, the FTS has bit of that Centurion upper energy, while retaining its copper tonality. This is not really a cable for relaxed and groovy listening in my opinion, this is all about resolution and energy. With the Jewel I absolutely loved it for the first hour or so, and then it became a tad fatiguing to me, though I am the first to say that I am quite sensitive to treble energy. It really comes down to how you prefer your high end presentation - I think for the vast majority of people the amount of treble energy will be divine. It is very engaging, while staying musical and never overly critical or analytical. Hi hats and cymbals splash and crash with great energy and air, guitar solos cascade into space, the little tick and tacks, lip smacks and sizzle, all in abundance.


So, how do I feel about the cable? I am deeply impressed with its abilities, the ultra black background, and the level of control and depth the whole sonic spectrum carries. The stage is huge and expansive in all directions. There is phenomenal amount of detail, micro details and resolution. It is far more linear than the Orpheus, closer to the Centurion while keeping the copper based vibe. It vastly outperforms the original FT by a mile, whatever the shielding does, it infuses some of that “magic” that everyone mentions when they talk about the Orpheus. Similar but different flavors for sure. Sounds like the perfect match to what I was searching for right? Yes and no. While it ticks all the boxes of what I wanted, I still found myself gravitating towards the Orphy and its luscious mids, fatter bass and less aggressive high end. Yes with the Orpheus I still yearn for a bit more air and sparkle, but as the sum of all its parts the Orph still wins for me overall. There is a sense of brazen musicality, soulful tone and resolution that wins me over every time. That’s what makes the Orpheus so special, that combo of lush, lovely and resolution combined, which I have yet to find elsewhere. The FTS and the Cent both have resolution in spades, but they lack a bit of that magic musicality which balances it all out. While the FTS has a huge stage, the Orpheus wins there as well, spreading wider and deeper, especially in the mids. But the FTS stage does reach higher and that could be more important to some. To love the FTS completely, I would perhaps prefer a slightly bigger bass presence, and less energetic treble. That high end is impressive, satisfying and powerful yes, and for many this will be a dream come true. But for me it was the deal breaker, ended up being fatiguing, and for all that the FTS is, it will move on to another home where that high end can be better appreciated. It is an amazing cable, so close to what I wanted, but in the end the Orphy wins me back again - it’s hard to complete with it.






By the way, For those that love and or own the original FT, the FTS is a huge upgrade in all aspects. But just be careful, as with the upgrade in abilities, the tuning also changed. Perhaps for the better, but I leave that up to you to decide.

To recap:

-For those that prefer their mids thicker and more forward, a rocking fat bass, and a warm analog tonality with breathtaking technical abilities, the Orpheus is your best choice.

-For those that prefer a copper sound that is less rolled off in the high end, more linear, and highly energetic, especially in the high end, the FTS is your best choice.

-For those that prefer a linear brighter sound, also with breathtaking abilities and great amounts of energy all over, the Centurion is your best choice.


I wish to thank you all for reading, I hope that it was helpful and in some way informative. I also wish to thank Andrew @MusicTeck for the opportunity to review this amazing cable. All my best to you all, and keep on rocking!

If you want to buy this amazing cable, I recommend getting yours here:

https://shop.musicteck.com/collecti...audio-first-times-with-shielding-new-flagship

Greetings dear Head-fiers, it is my great pleasure and honor today to be reviewing the Aroma A100TB portable amp and accompanying PSU 100 Pro. Aroma might be fairly new on the scene in the west, but they have been around for quite some time, hailing from Hong Kong. They are predominantly an IEM company, if you’re not already aware, their Jewel has quickly become a crowd favorite in the TOTL category. I am personally smitten with the Jewel, so much so that I had it made into a custom, and I like the company a lot. There is something really magical about the Aroma house sound, not too Hi-Fi, a touch of old school, a perfect balance of energy, resolution, and dynamics. When I heard that they made an amp I was curious, when I heard many people whose opinions I hold highly praise it up and down, I knew I had to try it out for myself. Having owned the highly regarded Cayin C9, and finding it an amazing piece of gear, I was excited to hear what Aroma could bring to the table.

So, I was very happy when Andrew from MusicTeck asked if I would be interested to review Aroma’s newest foray into portable amplification, the A100TB, which I found out later dethrones their previous amp the aptly named A100. The TB stands for True Balance, as the newer model only features 4.4mm balanced in and out, which suits my purposes perfectly. The A100TB is a reasonably small portable battery powered amplifier, designed to further extend the output of your DAP. It is also possible to purchase the accompanying PSU100 Pro, which gives further performance, but more on that later. Quickly, before we begin, my full disclosure. I bought this unit myself, though I did received a discount from MT with promise of review. I purchased it myself because I was very interested, and wanted to hear it, would have bought it anyway. On the technical side I think all important specs should be taken directly from the Aroma, which is here. This review will focus solely on the sound, with a brief interlude on build quality and daily usage. All testing was done with the LP6 Ti AE and Cayin N8ii, and the Jewel and 64A 18t.

(The unboxing experience is something I have never understood. I open the box, take out the item I bought, and then immediately put the box in my closet full of other boxes arriving directly from my nefariously frivolous spending habits. The Aroma comes in a black box, it was immediately aside, end of unboxing experience.)

So without further ado, here we go!



It’s hard to believe that a small black metal box can hold so much tonality, vibrancy and dynamics. If you’re asking yourself why one would choose to use external amp, let me explain. Some headphones need a ton of power, that’s a given, by why IEMs? While most modern DAPs have more than enough power to show off your IEM’s capabilities, scaling is a real thing and giving your gear more power doesn’t just mean louder it means better. Some power hungry IEMs - like the Jewel - really do need that extra juice to shine at their best. Why amp the LP6 then, doesn’t it have gobs of power? Yes it does, but adding a unit that was designed only for amplification without all the DAP abilities means you’re adding to your chain something that only serves the purposes of amp, and therefor can add something exciting. In the case of the LP6 I find it to be the best DAP I’ve ever heard, but it can be very mid forward, and with smaller more intimate stage. Adding in an amp changes that, but again, more on that later. The N8ii is also fairly powerful, but nowhere near the LP6 Ti AE.

The A100TB is just a small ball box. If you’re interested you can quickly slide the top plate off to see exactly what is inside. Other than that, you have a volume knob with nice firm resistance, and a balanced 4.4mm input and output. Power switch and charging on the back. That’s it. Very simple. You can tell that all the effort was put into the sound, and while the styling is very basic, I prefer this. Batman black with one loudness knob is all one needs! One thing to note, the brushed black satin finish is VERY easily smudged and scratched, after just a week I have several noticeable scratches which is a bit of a bummer. Also, the top cover, while it is super cool to slide it open to peer inside, it’s too easy to open, resulting in numerous accidental openings. A far cry from the Jewel box which requires instructions to open. What to do, not a deal breaker.



The A100TB is battery powered, and charges via USB C. The accompanying PSU unit plugs into the back of the A100TB via a hardwired cable, and since it also has a battery it charges via a switching transformer wall-wart. (One thing to note, DO NOT turn on the A100TB while the PSU is plugged in and turned on.)

You can use the A100TB by itself, or plug in the PSU and then it takes over the power duties. The hardwired cable is a bit of an oversight to me, as they could have easily made it detachable on both sides to allow the amp to be more conveniently stored or traveled with, but perhaps they chose to keep the cable fixed so you’d never lose it. I find that it’s hard to put into a backpack or case, as you have to decide either to put the volume knob or the power cable against a hard surface, neither are a great choice. But I imagine that Aroma wasn’t putting much thought into transportation of the unit. I secured the PSU to the bottom of the A100TB with some small strips of Dual-Lok, so they are now one small stack and I never have to worry about them moving around, scratching each other or sliding apart. My OCD finds this to be a great solution. I put some small rubber feet under the PSU so it doesn’t move around on my desk, and now I have a very cute little stack.

By the way, the battery life is great, I’ve used it for several long listening sessions over the course of several days and never ran out of batteries. I did use it predominantly in the PSU powered mode, which has a larger battery, but I think the battery life of either is really quite good. Good enough not to have to think about it at all.



Then the sound… this thing is magic for sure. Upon first plugging the amp into my LP6 I was stunned. Right out of the box this thing takes the whole sonic spectrum up about 5 notches. The staging is increased, more micro details, and the dynamics are increased as well. The bass is absolutely killer, extending deeper and with far greater authority and control. The mids are more open, with just a tad more weight and oomph to the notes. They are more clear, more detailed as well. There is more air in the high end, without being brighter, letting the highest frequencies magically dance about, floating above your head and out to the sides enveloping you in sonic bliss. The stage is wider, but also more spherical, letting sounds come at you all sides, especially behind you. There is more power, which in turn gives the sound more control, more taught and energetic, and better placement of the instruments on a pitch black background. It is also easier to power hungry IEMs like the Jewel, again the LP6 Ti has absolutely no “ need” for more power, but the extra headroom is well enjoyed here. Headroom is something that should not be discounted, volume is only part of the musical enjoyment combo. Headroom feels like control, like you could go louder but you don’t need to, because the full onslaught of sound coming from all around you is more than powerful enough at any volume. For bass players, it’s all about headroom, where you get the loudest possible volume, with great tone, in the the cleanest possible way. Headroom with IEMs is the same, you can go as loud -or quiet- as you want and the sound is always rich and full.

Dynamics are the A100TB’s bread and butter. While yes the details and staging are great, the increased dynamics is something to be experienced for yourself. It’s like everything got turned up to 11, but not distorted or feeling wildly off the rails, simply turned up to 11 with complete control, with myriad subtleties, thunderous power, and gentleness if called for. Everything is more tight, more wow and wham, more boom too. Dynamics are a result of all the headroom, you simply have more of everything to play with. The background is pure darkness, allowing the notes to come out of nowhere. Bass hits hard, with control, cohesion and better texture and tone. Drums thwack and slam harder, the ticks and clicks of the hats and ride jump out at you with clarity and bite. When the drummer opens up and wails you feel it in your chest. I’ve never heard drums like the A100TB and LP6 Ti, it’s sensational. Guitars have more body, more texture, more grit and raw energy. Vocals sit perfectly above your head, floating in space, with more micro details, spit and lip smacking included. It’s just more real, more wow, and more everything. A friend told with this amp literally “everything” will be improved; staging, details, power, control and I am inclined to agree with him. All across the board it’s all just better.



The A100TB is actually quite transparent, not coloring the sound in the way that I felt the Cayin C9 did, adding that “tube” flavor to the mix. The Aroma allows the DAP to hold onto its original sonic signature. While the C9 is great, this is considerably better in my opinion. Those dynamics are something I always wished the C9 had more of. Comparing the two I would say the C9 is more thick and juicy, the Aroma is more tight and detailed, and more dynamic. It could be called intense perhaps, but not negatively so. It’s like the music is there right in front of you, and you’ve had a small espresso right before the concert, so everything feels more energetic, more inspiring and electrifying, more moving, more heartfelt, more… well everything as I’ve said previously. It should be noted that while the A100TB does have a lot of power, it’s not some kind of outrages powerhouse, and while I don’t own any full size headphones, I can imagine it will happily power the ‘medium hungry’ ones. Someone else might chime in here about that aspect.

Then you add in the PSU. I was advised the PSU was absolutely necessary and I would 1000% agree. If you buy the A100TB, buy the PSU, please. Yes the amp by itself is great, the PSU just takes it way further. It’s technically an optional accessory, and yes the A100TB will work great without it, but when you add them together, you hear what Aroma really hand in mind when they designed the A100TB. Dynamics are now completely off the chain, the background is even blacker, and the micro details and resolution have taken a HUGE step up. I cried the first time I plugged it in, I honestly had no idea that a portable system could sound like this. It is absolutely crazy, like having the band in your head, playing all around you with complete ease or thundering slam if called for. The bass is wild, bringing reach that I didn’t know the Jewel could do. Drums now sound like I am actually sitting behind the kit, and I can feel in my hands the snare every time it’s smacked and slammed. The kick drum and toms I feel in my gut, the crash lights my hair on fire. Again, when called for. I was listening to Kenny Garret’s Songbook album and the ballads are lovely, dynamic and sweet, this combo isn’t just crazy energy, it has all the subtleties and light touches anyone could ask for. Put on Rage Against the Machine, Tool or Trivium, and be ready to have your head blown off. Snarky Puppy, Pat Metheney, Alison Kraus, Bela Fleck, Asgeir, Coltrane, Lettuce, all just next level. To put it simply I am speechless.

If you think it couldn’t get any better, then there is the user swappable op amps. I have some experience with op amps from my vintage guitar pedals, so I know exactly how they can affect the sound, at bare bones to modest price points. So after gathering the best advice I could, I decided to order the Burson V5Di and the OPA1612, the two most popular with A100TB users. I know I am already gushing a lot, but the Burson is the real deal. This tiny little silver cube gives such an upgrade to the sound, I was simply unprepared. All the A100TB does out of the box, the Burson adds another 35% to that, no joke. I cannot describe it better than that, it just takes it all to another level. There is nothing out of place, no change to the balanced tonality, that wonderful mojo. It’s more like a veil was removed and the tone just comes bursting out at you. The clarity and fidelity are the most noticeable, as well as a sense of control and dynamics being further pushed out at you from all directions. It sounds like a much larger system, approaching desktop performance in a tiny package.

To note, with the Burson in the output stage the intensity is upped quite a bit, and I can imagine some could find it too much actually. In this case I recommend putting the Burson into the input stage, and either staying with the stock output, or putting in OPA 1612 in there. I like my music intense so there’s no issues there for me. Either way you’re sailing.



So, since I have praised this thing all over the place, is there anything negative about it? Not much, just a few small squabbles. It’s hard to find faults, as it’s less than half the cost of the C9 including the PSU. It’s a lot smaller too. Yes, it doesn’t have the tube sound of the C9, but while the C9 isn’t a “real” tube, that might be the only thing going for it over the Aroma. In every other way I feel it is bested. The previously mentioned caveats are the cover coming off far too easily, and the back enclosure being prone to scratches and smudges. Also the A100TB and the PSU have slightly different shades of black which just seems silly to me. For some it could potentially be too intense in some specific configurations, but stock it’s golden for all ages.

To put it, again, very simply, this little black box is magic. It makes everything it touches sound better. Almost like it knows what the source needs to sound its best. With the LP6 it gives the stage some needed space, and brings back the sparkle and sub bass that L&P tuned out. Plug in the N8ii and it furthers its innate abilities while bringing a sense of warmth, which in my mind is also needed. Pretty kick ass. I hate to be one of those that just praise a piece of gear, but I simply am in love with this stack. It’s affordable, it sounds absolutely killer, game over.

I would like to thanks Andrew @MusicTeck for giving me the opportunity to review this beast, and to all of you that might read it. I hope it was helpful, perhaps insightful, or at least entertaining.