Intro: either by luck, chance, misfortune or misalignment of the universe, I have never reviewed a cable before. But, rest assured, I have owned as many cables as I have IEMs, and that number is vast. With regard specifically to Effect Audio, I have owned nearly all of them. I am a longtime customer, user, advocate, fan and stalker. When I saw the impending release of the Evo 10, a reasonably priced upgrade cable with style and attitude, I eagerly accepted an invitation to get my hands on this beauty. On that note, I purchased this cable from Effect Audio, albeit with a discount, and agreed to provide my thoughts, for better or worse. So, here they are!
Me: normally I write some spiel about why I am qualified to review a product, but this time I will just say maybe I am and maybe I am not. You can be the judge, and I am just here to tell you how I feel about this cable. I am an advocate of upgrade cables, and I have had everything from an Ares II up to a Horus Octa. So, I clearly have a problem when it comes to cables, but who better to write about cables than an addict like me? Good, glad we agree on that.
Evo 10, What is this thing? I am going to borrow from EA’s website here, because they say it better than me:
- 26AWG 4 Wire
- Interchangeable E-Face Y-Split Design
- Selected Gold Plated & Silver Plated UP-OCC
- Individually Enamelled Strands Septupled Core
- Bundled Litz Enhanced Surlyn® Insulation & EA UltraFlexi™ Jacket
In my eyes, there are two stars of the show here, which are the wire composition (gold, silver, and more gold!), and interchangeable faceplates. Okay, so the gold plated copper and silver plated copper are somewhat traditional to EA’s high-end cables, but they’ve never done something like an interchangeable faceplate. I think this is playful, bold, exciting and they hit the mark for changing up the market in this price segment. But, more on that later when we get into the sound.
The Package, What You Get: I think this is a pretty luxurious experience at the $588 price point. I spent more time than I should have with the unboxing step, admittedly highly entertained. Nice box, nice accessories, mystery behind each layer and ultimately leading to a wonderful cable. EA have been around long enough to know that there needs to be a pleasant experience when you drop some hard-earned coin on an upgrade cable that may increase you sound quality anywhere from 1-100%, and thankfully the Evo 10 is a joy to dig into (and listen to).
This cable comes with: well, the cable, duh. Then three faceplates (which EA will choose for you...I know, I know, more on this), some documentation on how to take these damn faceplates off, and a cool box. That’s it, but really, what more do you need?
Positioning, Competition: this cable comes in at $588, which puts it above the likes of the Vogue series and Premium series, but just below some of the Heritage series and way below the Hall of Fame series. Clear as mud, right? To be totally honest, I wouldn’t really place this cable in a segment based on price alone. It’s got a lot to offer, and EA found a notch in between some other product lines that this cable can not only shine, but offer some capabilities of it’s more-expensive siblings. I like to see that.
Handling & Hardware: a lot of an upgrade cable for me revolves around its comfort, it’s hardware and the general build quality. That includes, of course, the comfort in wearing the cable to listen to music. Too often, we see these behemoth cables that promise ultimate sound quality, but wearing them feels like a torture device. I shy away from these and while I love a soft, supple 8-wire cable, a 4-wire variant almost always wins out for comfort and doesn’t usually require a concession in sound quality. Thankfully, the Evo 10 is of that camp.
Taking the cable out of the box, you’re greeted with a handsome black cable that is very soft and supple in nature, though a half-step behind something like the Leonidas II which is just a tad softer. The housing on this does feel durable, neatly braided and completely adequate from a comfort perspective. Microphonics are kept nearly dead-silent, and it has an overall feel of quality and longevity. Ear guides are on the larger side, but no terrible memory wire here and I find them very comfortable with most IEMs. They’re formed with a black PVC (I think) housing and hold their shape around the ear very nicely.
The Y-split is where you find the fun, with color variations and exposed wires showing the cable’s genetic makeup. I find this playful and super cool, though I am a cheap date on wire composition (or nerd, call me what you will). It’s really cool to see the wires, and be able to customize to your preference. I like the purple faceplate, but to each their own, and you have choices!
For hardware, my set came with the newly-released ConX configuration, which allows you to change the connectors between MMCX, 2-pin, In-Ear, etc. And it’s a brilliant idea. No longer will you have to send in cables for re-termination, or buy new cables should you update your IEM. This is a really, really cool feature and I think it shows that EA wants you to enjoy their cables for a long while. In the game of revenue, you would think a cable company would aim to sell you as many cables as possible, but here it’s refreshing to see an eye on longer-term enjoyment. Thank you, EA!
Other hardware details are the 4.4mm plug on mine, and it’s quite nice! It’s not that fancy Pentaconn-branded plug of the higher-end series, but it’s a 4.4mm plug that works just fine and exudes quality. It’s flat, with an EA logo, and fits the bill perfectly. No issues here, and no concerns.
Testing: I have this cable primarily paired with an Empire Ears Odin, given its transparency and strong ability to show changes in the chain. Source was primarily the iFi iDSD Pro, with some listening done also on the Hiby R8 DAP on medium gain and Turbo mode enabled.
Sound: what the hell else is this review about? Well, lots of babbling I guess, but here we are at the sound section. I’ll get right to it: this cable offers an exciting, playful (like its appearance), energetic sound that is sure to bring out the traits of your IEM that you enjoy. Well, unless you don’t like the bass of treble of your IEM, in which case I am not sure any cable will help you all that much. What the Evo 10 offers is an enhanced, impactful and visceral bass slam, which is matched by its energy in the upper frequencies that provide a persuasive sparkle and wonderful extension. I might call it a v-shaped cable, but in fear of detracting love from the mid-range, I will just say that it enhances the bass and treble. I own EA’s Code 51 and while that cable costs four times the price, I have heard the Evo 10 referred to as the Code51’s little brother and I agree with that sentiment. What we have here is a detailed, impactful, transparent and energetic presentation. Further, we have an enhanced portrayal of the bass where notes are not thicker or warmer, but instead carry a natural, weighty tone in a neutral fashion. Imagine a cable that provides clarity, energy, impact and transparency but doesn’t add warmth: that’s Evo 10.
Resolution, a difficult topic when it comes to cables, sounds adequate to me. I don’t mean for that to sound lackluster at all, the opposite in fact, but I find it difficult to A/B cables in a sense where I can say one has more absolute resolution than another. That said, I feel I am missing nothing in comparison to more expensive cables. This is a feat, because this cable is on the lower pricing tier than what I usually have connected.
Stage on the Evo 10 is fantastically clean and organized, given its slight v-shape and neutral tone. With the Odin especially, I hear the cable not muddying any precision whatsoever, and surely this cable has the ability to present a detailed sound where the background is black and the stage is portrayed in a realistic manner. Very impressive in this price segment and again, a great ability to convey sound in a natural, neutral and ever-so-heavier manner without chipping away any detail. Most genres of music gave the feeling of realism and clarity, but with a softer touch than a pure silver cable. And there I go into some comparisons...
Comparisons:
- Effect Audio Cleopatra: the Cleo is a four-wire silver cable made of UP-OCC silver and priced above the Evo 10 ($799 at the time of this writing). The cable sits in the “Heritage” series and has a very nice build quality, slightly above the Evo 10 in my opinion. This cable is known to have a very substantial bass impact, but upon first listen I actually heard it to have less slam than the Evo 10. The cable, while very smooth, does have more of a “silver” sound with less weight in the notes and less warmth than the Evo 10. Clarity and extension are very focused on the Cleo, where Evo 10 trades a bit of that for a warmer and weightier presentation. Not substantially so, but when A/B tests are done I hear Cleo to be the leaner cable and Evo 10 to be the more rounded. I love them both and there is no clear winner, just preference. Resolution-wise, my brain tells me the Cleo has just a touch more nuance in the fine details, but I cannot imagine the Evo 10 trades all that much for the more exciting and impactful signature.
- PW Audio Monile: moving on to the Monile and Evo 10 comparison, there are more stark differences here than the Cleo and Evo 10. The Monile is a similarly-priced cable as the Evo 10 and has some of the famed 1960 DNA in its genetic make-up. In this comparison, I hear the Monile to be smoother, more relaxed and with a blacker background, where Evo 10 has a more energetic presentation with tighter and more enhanced bass that has a real punch. Mids are a touch smoother and fuller on the Monile, where the Evo 10 gives a pretty clear and flat presentation up through the upper mids. Into the treble, I hear a thicker note density on Monile, where Evo 10 has more energy and sparkle, but in a thinner sense. Monile puts a smooth texture over everything, where Evo 10 takes it to (Evo) 11. This was a fun comparison because the differences were very clearly audible. TLDR is that Monile is a smooth, natural sounding copper cable with a very accurate timbre, where Evo 10 brings excitement, fun and a v-shape to the table to enhance bass and treble. Really, it comes down to what you’re looking for sound-wise. I will say, the Monile is incredible light and comfortable, though I find the Evo 10 ear-hooks to fit my ears better.
- PW Audio Loki: I heard this Loki cable a while back when I participated in the PW Audio tour and liked it. As I am older and wiser by a few months, I still like it! It’s a “budget” cable by today’s standards coming in around $370 and has a makeup of 70% silver and 30% copper. This is a no-frills cable that is built well and gives a truly accurate sound. This, to me, is kind of a reference cable not in that it is flat, but that it’s an honest reproduction without much of a skew in any direction. Where Evo 10 enhances bass and treble, Loki gives a sense of refinement of the reference sound. Bass is more impactful and fuller on the Evo 10, where the Loki has a very linear response. Into the mids, it is quite difficult for me to discern any differences here, though I blame my ears more than I would say the cables are identical. Into the treble. I hear a weightier sparkle on the Evo 10, but extension is very similar on both with perhaps a nod to Loki as extending into the most extreme registers. Honestly, we need not dwell on the minute differences here of which cable goes into the 20khz range; the more important factor at play is whether or not you want enhanced bass and lower trelbe, or a fairly neutral and accurate rendition of sound. It all depends on your preferences and which IEM you will pair the cable with. And on that note, on to the pairings...
Pairings:
- Empire Ears Odin: I did most of my listening with this pairing and I have to say, it’s a winning combination. The Odin, while perhaps thin in some areas and energetic in others, sounds very pleasing with the Evo 10. The Odin is an IEM that in my ears, can use some enhancement in the bass. The quality is there in spades, but it needs a little extra “oomph” and the Evo 10 delivers. The dual DDs are woken up with this cable and brought to life. Mids are extremely clear and open on the Odin and the Evo 10 preserves that. Treble is quite sparkly on Odin, so Evo 10 gives a slight touch of weight to the notes beyond the mid-range and it makes the overall signature quite pleasing. Odin is quite energetic on its own and while Evo 10 brings the bass even more forward in that regard, it’s just pure fun and excitement. Now, if you already find the Odin to be too forward and energetic, the Evo 10 and quite frankly Odin in general, are probably not for you. The only glaring issue here is that the stock cable, a PW 1960, is already quite good. But Evo 10 has its own charm being more V-shaped and bringing it’s own flavor to the table with stronger bass and weightier treble.
- Empire Ears Legend X SE: here’s an IEM that doesn’t need any bass enhancement, but surprisingly it works! The Evo 10 doesn’t add a ton of quantity, but instead gives a clean slam with ever-so-slightly more extension than the stock Ares II cable. Mids are clearer and easier to hear the nuances than the Ares II, while the notes of instruments have a greater separation to my ears. Into the upper registers, I love the energy that Evo 10 brings to the LXSE (which needs more energy there IMHO). Treble is more sparkly and extended, giving a nice splash on drums and articulation on higher notes. This is a fun pairing and wow does that bass slam.
- Hyla CE-5: I included the CE-5 because it is a rather V-shaped IEM and so is the Evo 10, so I wanted to see how the pairing went. Let’s start with the bass: oh my goodness. The CE-5 has bass that rivals the LX in my opinion and with the Evo 10, can probably surpass it assuming the Ares II is in play. The bass has insane extension into the lower registers with a punch that you can feel in your chest almost. Mids, well, the CE-5 is not known for mids; not a lot happening actually. But once you reach the upper mids and lower treble, the energy in this combo comes alive and wow does it shine. I thought this might be a terrible combo due to the V-shape + V-shape, but surprisingly it works due to the rounded notes and weighty texture. The CE-5 extends all the way up with the Evo 10, and sounds fuller than with a traditional silver cable. Nice pairing, incredible technicality and this will show you just how amazing EDM can sound.
Conclusion:
It’s not hugely surprising that I love this cable. It has a lot of fun, playful aspects that I haven’t gotten in other cables. From the faceplates, to the ConX system, to the slamming bass performance, I really think this cable slots in nicely to EA’s current lineup. You’ve got the Cleo up the chain, and others below, but this is a sweet spot in my view for price to performance ratio. I never felt like I was missing performance or resolution compared to more expensive cables in my arsenal, and it was refreshing to see a ~$588 cable with quality hardware and solid build quality. I know this is still more than many will want to spend on an upgrade cable, but I feel the Evo 10 brings enough value to the table to be a strong recommendation. No cable is going to shift an IEMs sound into the love or hate category if you weren’t already there, but the Evo 10 has a real shot at improving sound with the lower and upper registers for you, while giving a very clear tone, expansive stage and a playful sound signature that brings on a smile. When I heard about this cable, I really wondered how EA could find another market segment to enter without being met with redundancy, but here we are with the Evo 10 carving out a place for itself as a real keeper. There is something about this cable’s ability to render the fun parts of the frequency that keep me coming back and excited to use it. From strong build quality, to great ergonomics, to pleasing sound and customizability, I can very easily recommend EA’s Evo 10; it’s a very innovative and original idea that showcases EA’s commitment to continued excitement in the cable world.
