Effect Audio Centurion
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A few notes and housekeeping before jumping into things! I want to thank Andrew of Musicteck for the opportunity to review the Effect Audio Centurion as well as for his continued assistance. To purchase a Centurion of your own, or other Effect Audio products, please check out Musicteck's selection at: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/effect-audio
For those that haven't read any of my other impressions/reviews, a general sense of my tastes:
I am a treble fanatic and on top of that I love my bass to be tight and controlled with a decay that is on the shorter side. For mids I want a natural and clear sound, never bloomy or having bleed from mid or sub bass into this region.
With that in mind, I went into the purchase of this cable looking to up the quality and overall presentation of my Noble Audio Viking Ragnar and the Centurion absolutely out performed all of my expectations for it.
The presentation of the Centurion is outstanding but not without some very big issues, which for a $5,000 product, is a bit of a problem.
The outer packaging is pretty standard Effect Audio for their heritage series+, if anything, a bit understated compared to the Cleopatra 2 Octa and Chiron, lacking any sort of design or other on the outer box. Inside the left box pictured below, is Effect Audios collaboration product which allows you to wrap the wire within it and rest the earhooks over the two protruding prongs.
While this show piece is a well designed and aesthetically pleasing inclusion, I can't help but feel it's all but useless and the exclusion of it and subsequent price decrease would be much better (likely able to cut 300+ dollars off the total price if it was excluded). I personally could never see myself using this as it's not exactly compact or quick to wrap/store every time you use your paired IEM.
Within the right box is the Centurion itself, the extra ConX connections (the Centurion comes with full ConX so all offered connectors are here) and the custom puck designed around the Centurion theme as well as an owners manual.
This is also where my biggest gripes with Effect Audio and the packaging come in. You'll notice EA's typical "jewelry" presentation that they have adopted with all their higher end cables utilized to an even more unnecessary degree but there are some MAJOR flaws in this packaging and particularly with how mine was packed. At the bottom the cable is subject to a VERY tight curve which causes inevitable kinks in the wire which you'll be lucky if they ever come out, mine has a (probably) permanent kink to the left which causes some annoyances when trying to wrap it for storage. Beyond that, the top above the splitter is wrapped around through the top to the back, again causing MORE kinks in your five thousand dollar wire. Behind this, on the underside of it are two button clasps, which are supposed to be holding a neatly coiled wire....mine was simply scrunched up and tossed in the back portion, no wrap, no cable tie or other to stop additional kinks or possible damage. This is an absolutely unacceptable lack of care paid attention to the product and eventual consumer.
Some more small gripes here with one major one. For anyone that has owned Effect Audio 8 wire cables, there's nothing new here. The braids are slightly longer than my other EA cables (Cleo2 Octa, Horus/Cleo bespoke) which leads to a looser/flabbier cable with little to no actual shape of its own. I personally wish it had a little more oomph to it as it just kind of....waves freely with any minor movement but lucky there are no microphonics at all.
The insulation used also feels softer than my other EA cables, I am not sure if this is because it's an older version of their currently used insulation or if it's a higher quality one reserved for the Centurion only. My Centurion is the limited edition Black Gold, so all titanium parts are (i believe) cerakoted black. The finish is very fine and feels high quality and that it will not have any future tarnishing or loss of the black finish.
My major gripe comes with the chin cinch/y-split, they simply over engineered this thing to the point where it kind of is all form over function. The y split itself is MASSIVE and extremely heavy, it will always hold the cable and pull straight down, no exceptions. When it comes to the cinch (the centurion emblem is meant to pull up as one piece, exposing the wire underneath traveling through the solid splitter below) but I'll probably never know how well the chin cinch functions as I cannot, for the life of me, get it unstuck from the slide it's supposed to be on and simply too afraid to apply any force as there's no room to grip on the bottom other than tugging the wire or potentially slipping and damaging the wire.
All listening, notes and comparisons (where done) were done via the Noble Audio Viking Ragnar and an Astell&Kern SP3000 (Stainless Steel version) with Earbondd Gold Plated Copper ear tips (short fit).
I'm going to attempt to go through this section without gushing or shilling the Centurion (too hard) but it is well and truly my favorite and the best cable I've had the luxury of trying.
The overall sound of the Centurion is, above all, one that focuses on absolute clarity of detail, making every portion of the sound absolutely pristine and detailed while also keeping the soundstage massive in all axes. There is next to no coloration from the Centurion besides a very slight sweetness added to vocals. With that said, onto the detailed/breakdown portion of this section.
Technicalities:
The Centurion is able to push the boundaries of anything and everything I've heard from other cables. At it's heart it's a silver cable that pushes all silver standards to a 30/10 but it's timber is sweetened/softened ever so slightly by the addition of the gold into the alloy and plating. To start, the first thing you'll notice is just how grand the soundstage is, you will get massive extension in every axes if your IEM is capable of it, which in my case, the Ragnar is absolutely able to take advantage of every inch of space offered to it. Not only does the bass reach extremely deep but the stage also gains equal height, giving an absolutely amazing sense of dynamics from top to bottom. Normally this results in a smaller staging width (as is present with the Horus/Cleo) but the Centurion is somehow able to achieve a massively wide soundstage at the same time.
The transients are another outstanding feature of the Centurion. Notes are extremely quick and punchy, coming and going very fast with very little reverb due to the quick decay. Some may find it a tad unnatural but when paired with the Ragnar and SP3K, you get such a deep, dark and cavernous background that every note and micro detail is able to be heard, clearly delineated from the rest.
Resolution and Imaging are also by far above other cables I've used, the only cable coming even close in total resolution would be the Cleopatra II Octa but the Centurion is still a solid league ahead.
Bass: For those of you that have been lucky enough as I have to experience both the Horus and the Ode to Laura the bass here is reminiscent of a combination of the two. There is depth to and beyond that of the Ode to Laura which is a feat in and of itself, as to date, nothing I've ever listened to was able to surpass the depth the Ode to Laura is able to present. Alongside this depth, it adopts the Horus's signature punch and dynamics, being extremely quick and tactile. The combination of these 3 traits gives the utmost control from the lowest of the sub bass through to the top end of the mid bass allowing the entire bass presentation to be extremely clean while not losing any texture or dynamics as is often the case when having such fast transients. The Centurion is able to push everything about typical silver bass to the next level and I've never enjoyed the bass of the Ragnar more. The Ragnar is typically seen as a "bass lean" IEM but thanks to how well the Centurion scales up the dynamics and punch of the bass without losing the cleanliness and dark background that makes the Ragnar so special. If you love a warmer sound, the Centurion won't be for you as it does lean a bit bright across the entire presentation, most notably in the bass and treble.
Compared to cables such as the Cleopatra II Octa and Horus/Cleopatra I, the Centurion is absolutely miles ahead in all areas of bass presentation but the CleoII will offer a slightly more "analog" warmer bass presentation, for those that want a touch less brightness in their bass. The Ode to Laura will offer a bit more coloration to the bass but less warmth than the CleoII in comparison to the Centurion.
Mids: The mids and vocal presentation of the Centurion is, once again, nothing short of absolutely spectacular. Again, akin to the Horus, the Centurion has that special gold touch of sweetness, but where the Horus leans very bright and clinical, the Centurion is able to push the boundaries. Alongside that retained sweetness, it presents an extremely detailed and clean vocal presentation without pushing them forward as the Horus does. However the vocals are not recessed either, the best description I can give here is that they are in focus, perfectly centered among the gigantic sound stage without harming the lower treble or mid bass in the process. There is an abundance of detail due to the perfectly pitch black background (this may vary based on your source and IEM, but I believe this to be one of the darkest backgrounds possible) and speed/decay of notes, while not as quick as the bass, vocals will lightly linger just the perfect amount to retain a perfect timber.
Among my collection of cables, the Centurion sits at the top of clarity and detail in the mids. The cleopatra II Octa offers a much different presentation comparatively, being much more focused on retaining a more "copper" timber than it's silver make-up. The Ode to Laura has it's signature wispiness which recesses the mids while elevating the bass and treble in comparison to the Centurions "focused" mids that are perfectly placed, not being overly forward or at all recessed in the mix. The closest presentation, but only in timber, is the Horus/Cleo I, while retaining the same sweet vocals, the Horus/Cleo is much brighter in the upper mids/lower treble and doesn't have quite the same level of detail as the Centurion due to a slightly longer note decay.
Treble: My bread and butter, the treble presentation of the Centurion is like no other. The Centurion is able to reach heights and imaging detail within the treble that no cable I've found is even able to come close to. From lower treble into the upper treble the Centurion retains a bright but never harsh or sibilant presentation (to me, keep in mind, i have a fairly limitless tolerance for treble and brightness, as evidenced in my pairing it with Ragnar). Cymbals, hi-hats and others are all easily discernable no matter how complex the passage and perfectly on point timber and snappy decay, having just enough ring to not sound metallic or "fake". I would not particularly classify the Centurions treble as "sparkly" like the Ode to Laura's as it is able to project an equally natural tonality while being much brighter and more clear in the overall soundstage but before it can have any lingering sparkle, it's gone due to the speed at which it presents itself. For any treble lover out there like myself that loves extremely clear and present treble, this is the cable for you.
Comparative to my other silver cables, the Centurion is by far the brightest, followed by Horus/Cleo I, Magnus 8w, Ode to Laura and finally Cleopatra II Octa.
If Effect Audio would kindly revisit not only their packaging design but pay greater attention when actually packing an item they are asking $5,000 dollars for and ensure their chin cinches properly slide, then the Centurion would be without flaw. Now I'm not knocking any points off my overall review from a 5 as the quality of the sound and cable simply make me overlook these few absolutely inexcusable issues, but I wanted to ensure they are known for other potential purchases.
If you do decide to make the leap, remember to give Musicteck a visit for your purchase at: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/effect-audio
For those that haven't read any of my other impressions/reviews, a general sense of my tastes:
I am a treble fanatic and on top of that I love my bass to be tight and controlled with a decay that is on the shorter side. For mids I want a natural and clear sound, never bloomy or having bleed from mid or sub bass into this region.
With that in mind, I went into the purchase of this cable looking to up the quality and overall presentation of my Noble Audio Viking Ragnar and the Centurion absolutely out performed all of my expectations for it.
Packaging:
The presentation of the Centurion is outstanding but not without some very big issues, which for a $5,000 product, is a bit of a problem.
The outer packaging is pretty standard Effect Audio for their heritage series+, if anything, a bit understated compared to the Cleopatra 2 Octa and Chiron, lacking any sort of design or other on the outer box. Inside the left box pictured below, is Effect Audios collaboration product which allows you to wrap the wire within it and rest the earhooks over the two protruding prongs.
While this show piece is a well designed and aesthetically pleasing inclusion, I can't help but feel it's all but useless and the exclusion of it and subsequent price decrease would be much better (likely able to cut 300+ dollars off the total price if it was excluded). I personally could never see myself using this as it's not exactly compact or quick to wrap/store every time you use your paired IEM.
Within the right box is the Centurion itself, the extra ConX connections (the Centurion comes with full ConX so all offered connectors are here) and the custom puck designed around the Centurion theme as well as an owners manual.
This is also where my biggest gripes with Effect Audio and the packaging come in. You'll notice EA's typical "jewelry" presentation that they have adopted with all their higher end cables utilized to an even more unnecessary degree but there are some MAJOR flaws in this packaging and particularly with how mine was packed. At the bottom the cable is subject to a VERY tight curve which causes inevitable kinks in the wire which you'll be lucky if they ever come out, mine has a (probably) permanent kink to the left which causes some annoyances when trying to wrap it for storage. Beyond that, the top above the splitter is wrapped around through the top to the back, again causing MORE kinks in your five thousand dollar wire. Behind this, on the underside of it are two button clasps, which are supposed to be holding a neatly coiled wire....mine was simply scrunched up and tossed in the back portion, no wrap, no cable tie or other to stop additional kinks or possible damage. This is an absolutely unacceptable lack of care paid attention to the product and eventual consumer.
Build Quality:
Some more small gripes here with one major one. For anyone that has owned Effect Audio 8 wire cables, there's nothing new here. The braids are slightly longer than my other EA cables (Cleo2 Octa, Horus/Cleo bespoke) which leads to a looser/flabbier cable with little to no actual shape of its own. I personally wish it had a little more oomph to it as it just kind of....waves freely with any minor movement but lucky there are no microphonics at all.
The insulation used also feels softer than my other EA cables, I am not sure if this is because it's an older version of their currently used insulation or if it's a higher quality one reserved for the Centurion only. My Centurion is the limited edition Black Gold, so all titanium parts are (i believe) cerakoted black. The finish is very fine and feels high quality and that it will not have any future tarnishing or loss of the black finish.
My major gripe comes with the chin cinch/y-split, they simply over engineered this thing to the point where it kind of is all form over function. The y split itself is MASSIVE and extremely heavy, it will always hold the cable and pull straight down, no exceptions. When it comes to the cinch (the centurion emblem is meant to pull up as one piece, exposing the wire underneath traveling through the solid splitter below) but I'll probably never know how well the chin cinch functions as I cannot, for the life of me, get it unstuck from the slide it's supposed to be on and simply too afraid to apply any force as there's no room to grip on the bottom other than tugging the wire or potentially slipping and damaging the wire.
Sound:
All listening, notes and comparisons (where done) were done via the Noble Audio Viking Ragnar and an Astell&Kern SP3000 (Stainless Steel version) with Earbondd Gold Plated Copper ear tips (short fit).
I'm going to attempt to go through this section without gushing or shilling the Centurion (too hard) but it is well and truly my favorite and the best cable I've had the luxury of trying.
The overall sound of the Centurion is, above all, one that focuses on absolute clarity of detail, making every portion of the sound absolutely pristine and detailed while also keeping the soundstage massive in all axes. There is next to no coloration from the Centurion besides a very slight sweetness added to vocals. With that said, onto the detailed/breakdown portion of this section.
Technicalities:
The Centurion is able to push the boundaries of anything and everything I've heard from other cables. At it's heart it's a silver cable that pushes all silver standards to a 30/10 but it's timber is sweetened/softened ever so slightly by the addition of the gold into the alloy and plating. To start, the first thing you'll notice is just how grand the soundstage is, you will get massive extension in every axes if your IEM is capable of it, which in my case, the Ragnar is absolutely able to take advantage of every inch of space offered to it. Not only does the bass reach extremely deep but the stage also gains equal height, giving an absolutely amazing sense of dynamics from top to bottom. Normally this results in a smaller staging width (as is present with the Horus/Cleo) but the Centurion is somehow able to achieve a massively wide soundstage at the same time.
The transients are another outstanding feature of the Centurion. Notes are extremely quick and punchy, coming and going very fast with very little reverb due to the quick decay. Some may find it a tad unnatural but when paired with the Ragnar and SP3K, you get such a deep, dark and cavernous background that every note and micro detail is able to be heard, clearly delineated from the rest.
Resolution and Imaging are also by far above other cables I've used, the only cable coming even close in total resolution would be the Cleopatra II Octa but the Centurion is still a solid league ahead.
Bass: For those of you that have been lucky enough as I have to experience both the Horus and the Ode to Laura the bass here is reminiscent of a combination of the two. There is depth to and beyond that of the Ode to Laura which is a feat in and of itself, as to date, nothing I've ever listened to was able to surpass the depth the Ode to Laura is able to present. Alongside this depth, it adopts the Horus's signature punch and dynamics, being extremely quick and tactile. The combination of these 3 traits gives the utmost control from the lowest of the sub bass through to the top end of the mid bass allowing the entire bass presentation to be extremely clean while not losing any texture or dynamics as is often the case when having such fast transients. The Centurion is able to push everything about typical silver bass to the next level and I've never enjoyed the bass of the Ragnar more. The Ragnar is typically seen as a "bass lean" IEM but thanks to how well the Centurion scales up the dynamics and punch of the bass without losing the cleanliness and dark background that makes the Ragnar so special. If you love a warmer sound, the Centurion won't be for you as it does lean a bit bright across the entire presentation, most notably in the bass and treble.
Compared to cables such as the Cleopatra II Octa and Horus/Cleopatra I, the Centurion is absolutely miles ahead in all areas of bass presentation but the CleoII will offer a slightly more "analog" warmer bass presentation, for those that want a touch less brightness in their bass. The Ode to Laura will offer a bit more coloration to the bass but less warmth than the CleoII in comparison to the Centurion.
Mids: The mids and vocal presentation of the Centurion is, once again, nothing short of absolutely spectacular. Again, akin to the Horus, the Centurion has that special gold touch of sweetness, but where the Horus leans very bright and clinical, the Centurion is able to push the boundaries. Alongside that retained sweetness, it presents an extremely detailed and clean vocal presentation without pushing them forward as the Horus does. However the vocals are not recessed either, the best description I can give here is that they are in focus, perfectly centered among the gigantic sound stage without harming the lower treble or mid bass in the process. There is an abundance of detail due to the perfectly pitch black background (this may vary based on your source and IEM, but I believe this to be one of the darkest backgrounds possible) and speed/decay of notes, while not as quick as the bass, vocals will lightly linger just the perfect amount to retain a perfect timber.
Among my collection of cables, the Centurion sits at the top of clarity and detail in the mids. The cleopatra II Octa offers a much different presentation comparatively, being much more focused on retaining a more "copper" timber than it's silver make-up. The Ode to Laura has it's signature wispiness which recesses the mids while elevating the bass and treble in comparison to the Centurions "focused" mids that are perfectly placed, not being overly forward or at all recessed in the mix. The closest presentation, but only in timber, is the Horus/Cleo I, while retaining the same sweet vocals, the Horus/Cleo is much brighter in the upper mids/lower treble and doesn't have quite the same level of detail as the Centurion due to a slightly longer note decay.
Treble: My bread and butter, the treble presentation of the Centurion is like no other. The Centurion is able to reach heights and imaging detail within the treble that no cable I've found is even able to come close to. From lower treble into the upper treble the Centurion retains a bright but never harsh or sibilant presentation (to me, keep in mind, i have a fairly limitless tolerance for treble and brightness, as evidenced in my pairing it with Ragnar). Cymbals, hi-hats and others are all easily discernable no matter how complex the passage and perfectly on point timber and snappy decay, having just enough ring to not sound metallic or "fake". I would not particularly classify the Centurions treble as "sparkly" like the Ode to Laura's as it is able to project an equally natural tonality while being much brighter and more clear in the overall soundstage but before it can have any lingering sparkle, it's gone due to the speed at which it presents itself. For any treble lover out there like myself that loves extremely clear and present treble, this is the cable for you.
Comparative to my other silver cables, the Centurion is by far the brightest, followed by Horus/Cleo I, Magnus 8w, Ode to Laura and finally Cleopatra II Octa.
Closing:
Hopefully I was able to portray a clear picture of the Centurion as well as it is able to portray my music. It is well and truly worthy of the title of a flagship cable and for me, well worth the price as it has upped not only the technical aspects of my Ragnar but also my overall enjoyment and listening time, it's simply hard to put down.
If Effect Audio would kindly revisit not only their packaging design but pay greater attention when actually packing an item they are asking $5,000 dollars for and ensure their chin cinches properly slide, then the Centurion would be without flaw. Now I'm not knocking any points off my overall review from a 5 as the quality of the sound and cable simply make me overlook these few absolutely inexcusable issues, but I wanted to ensure they are known for other potential purchases.
If you do decide to make the leap, remember to give Musicteck a visit for your purchase at: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/effect-audio
