Dislcaimer: This sample of the Burson Cable+ was sent to me on loan by Burson. The review is for the A2A version.
I'm writing this review as a supplement to the previous reviews, all of which have more than adequately described the basic features, functions, looks, and feel of the Cable+.
As I already have a living room rig and a desktop rig that are designed around non-mobile gear, I decided to review the Cable+ A2A entirely in the context of a mobile setup consisting of the following:
Mobile Source:
iPad Air
Tidal Hifi Lossless Streaming
Mobile DAC/Amp:
Schiit Fulla 2
Headphones:
HiFiMan HE400i
Cables:
Burson Audio Cable+ A2A
Belkin generic minijack cable
For me this represents a mobile setup that I can take on business trips, vacations, or to-and-from the office.
Setup:
iPad Air (on battery) -> headphone jack out -> (tested cable) -> Fulla 2 -> HE400i
The Fulla 2 in this scenario is only acting as an amp, not as a DAC
No fancy power supplies were used. Both the Fulla 2 and Cable+ were powered using generic micro USB to AC plugs.
Sound:
First off, there is absolutely no doubt that the Cable+ makes an audible difference compared to the generic Belkin minijack cable.
With the Belkin cable, driving the Schiit Fulla 2 with the analog output of the iPad Air, dynamics were limited, bass was mushy and soft, treble and cymbals were rolled off. Music was inoffensive, but it was also un-involving, lacking dynamics and frequency response There was no listening fatigue, but it was almost like listening to AM radio.
Putting the Cable+ into the mix was like moving to FM radio, or from cassette to CD. Dynamics were restored, bass was both extended and more impactful, treble was no longer rolled-off, but extended and detailed.
About that treble:
In my system, when combined with the Fulla 2 and the HE400i, the Cable+ definitely boosted the top octave, adding more sparkle and air. When heard with music with a lot of low-end, like EDM, pop, or rock, the effect was a "smile curve", with the more impactful and dynamic lows balancing out the extended highs. Pop tracks like DNCE's "Cake by the Ocean" had enhanced snap and shimmer added to the drum kit.
However, on natural acoustic albums that lack of heavy bottom end, such as Brad Mehldau piano jazz, the extended top end became a bit fatiguing and unnatural sounding. I found myself wishing for an EQ to tame the top a bit, while preserving the superior dynamics, or wanting to try a different set of cans to get a better synergy.
Conclusion:
The Cable+ definitely makes a difference. It is not a passive cable with subtle to negligible effects on the sound, but an active component that increases the dynamic impact and subjectively extends the apparent frequency range of the iPad Air's analog output.
However, it is also not entirely neutral, either, adding both impact to the bottom octaves and sparkle and detail to the top octaves. Whether you find this enjoyable or a bit too much will depend upon the rest of your system, EQ settings, and music styles.
Worth exploring if your system is a little on the dark side, maybe be a step too far if your system tends towards the lean or bright.
I'm writing this review as a supplement to the previous reviews, all of which have more than adequately described the basic features, functions, looks, and feel of the Cable+.
As I already have a living room rig and a desktop rig that are designed around non-mobile gear, I decided to review the Cable+ A2A entirely in the context of a mobile setup consisting of the following:
Mobile Source:
iPad Air
Tidal Hifi Lossless Streaming
Mobile DAC/Amp:
Schiit Fulla 2
Headphones:
HiFiMan HE400i
Cables:
Burson Audio Cable+ A2A
Belkin generic minijack cable
For me this represents a mobile setup that I can take on business trips, vacations, or to-and-from the office.
Setup:
iPad Air (on battery) -> headphone jack out -> (tested cable) -> Fulla 2 -> HE400i
The Fulla 2 in this scenario is only acting as an amp, not as a DAC
No fancy power supplies were used. Both the Fulla 2 and Cable+ were powered using generic micro USB to AC plugs.
Sound:
First off, there is absolutely no doubt that the Cable+ makes an audible difference compared to the generic Belkin minijack cable.
With the Belkin cable, driving the Schiit Fulla 2 with the analog output of the iPad Air, dynamics were limited, bass was mushy and soft, treble and cymbals were rolled off. Music was inoffensive, but it was also un-involving, lacking dynamics and frequency response There was no listening fatigue, but it was almost like listening to AM radio.
Putting the Cable+ into the mix was like moving to FM radio, or from cassette to CD. Dynamics were restored, bass was both extended and more impactful, treble was no longer rolled-off, but extended and detailed.
About that treble:
In my system, when combined with the Fulla 2 and the HE400i, the Cable+ definitely boosted the top octave, adding more sparkle and air. When heard with music with a lot of low-end, like EDM, pop, or rock, the effect was a "smile curve", with the more impactful and dynamic lows balancing out the extended highs. Pop tracks like DNCE's "Cake by the Ocean" had enhanced snap and shimmer added to the drum kit.
However, on natural acoustic albums that lack of heavy bottom end, such as Brad Mehldau piano jazz, the extended top end became a bit fatiguing and unnatural sounding. I found myself wishing for an EQ to tame the top a bit, while preserving the superior dynamics, or wanting to try a different set of cans to get a better synergy.
Conclusion:
The Cable+ definitely makes a difference. It is not a passive cable with subtle to negligible effects on the sound, but an active component that increases the dynamic impact and subjectively extends the apparent frequency range of the iPad Air's analog output.
However, it is also not entirely neutral, either, adding both impact to the bottom octaves and sparkle and detail to the top octaves. Whether you find this enjoyable or a bit too much will depend upon the rest of your system, EQ settings, and music styles.
Worth exploring if your system is a little on the dark side, maybe be a step too far if your system tends towards the lean or bright.
