This review is from earphonia.com
Re-posted on headfi to share the impressions from http://earphonia.com/earphone-cables/effect-audio-iem-cable-thor-silver-ii-lightning-strikes
As a lot of you know I am already a big fan of Effect Audio’s cables, so I was very pleased to hear about their new silver cable release.
I spent no time putting an order in to snap up the Thor Silver II IEM cable and as always their speed of processing was impressive, built and shipped to the UK in less than 1 week.
This cable is part of their excellent Premium Series range of cables.
http://www.effectaudio.com/upgrade-cables/iem-cables/iem-premium-series/standard/thor-silver-ii.html
Build Quality, Aesthetics and Ergonomics:
The cable is shipped in the standard Effect Audio cardboard hard box with soft foam inner padding for protection in transit.
I chose the 2.5mm balanced edition with MMCX connectors and as soon as I lifted the box lid and set eyes on it, I was very pleased with what was before me.
The texture and softness of this cable radiates quality and its lightness makes you forget you are even wearing it at times.
I experienced no microphonics or unwanted external sound transfer using this cable.
It is very difficult to capture the shimmering ethereal crystal litz cable but I will try with my camera shots.
It seems to switch from a greyish silver to an ice white sparkle with the thick silver strands tightly woven together.
The 2.5 balanced plug and Y join section complements the cable style perfectly, with its stark solid metal and elegant black carbon fibre centre.
As expected from such a respected brand, the parts used looked to be of a very high standard and the connectors were tight on the earphones I used for this review – Campfire Audio Jupiter and Westone W60.
There we no cut outs or loose fits with my earphones, which I have experienced in the past with MMCX connectors.
Both earphones paired well with this cable:
With the Westone W60 smooth and natural sounding while the Jupiter was brighter, with more sparkle and distinct layering.
I have no problem recommending this cable for both these excellent IEMs.
Sources Used:
For this review I used my trusted Astell and Kern AK380 Copper Digital Audio Player
and my VentureCraft SounDroid Valoq (SDP-1)
These are easily 2 of my favourite DAPs, so it was a natural choice to use them, also they both have 2.5 balanced capability – so a perfect match for the Thor II Silver cable.
Both players had good synergy with this cable, offering up their own signature differences to great effect.
The AK380CU fires out its reference transparency and distinct layering effortlessly.
However recently I have been really drawn towards smoother, warmer, more organic signatures. So the Valoq has been serving me royally when coupled with the correct OpAmps, my preference of late are the highly respected OPA627SM Op Amps.
Sound Signature
This cable surprised me from the get go, as the signature was somewhat different to what I am used to with Silver or Litz composition cables.
My experience in the past with Moon Audio silver dragon cables and the Alo Campfire Litz cables both provided a strong focus on transparency and treble refinement whereas the Thor Silver II provided a much more balanced signature with smoothness and texturing its primary strengths. Upper treble is tamed and softened as well, excellent for removing unwanted sharpness.
This suited me perfectly and drew me further towards the organic musical signatures that I am falling for these days.
Bass attack especially in the sub bass area is tighter giving it a well rounded feel.
The following track is a great example of how the Thor Silver II cable handles the tight bass attack with full extended sub bass.
Daft Punk – Around The World
Daft Punk’s excellent techno groove has a much punchier tighter kick to it now.
Mids are rich with strong presence, fuller but without any additional colouring or artificial weight.
The Scratch 22 Electric Wire Hustle remix below has open live sounding vocals lifted but still raw and soulful, all balanced inline with the strong backing percussion.
Vocals are natural and maintain the emotion and passion of the singer. The Thor Silver II cable also adds softness, making them slightly more intimate and airy.
Electric Wire Hustle – Again (Scratch 22 Remix)
The wonderful Chemical Structures electronica track is a great choice to show off the wider staging and balance of this cable.
Fast and complex electronica tracks, especially with lush synth arpeggios, these are navigated effortlessly without struggling to keep up with the pace.
Layering and depth is carried out expertly by the Thor Silver II cable. Synths are immersive with wide staging depth but not dominating or shadowing.
Ricardo Donoso – Chemical Structures
Conclusion:
I am happy to recommend this cable, especially for those who are into dynamic music, EDM or Vocal tracks.
This cable is extremely well balanced and really can handle everything you throw at it.
If you like sub bass immersion and tight hitting mid bass, this cable will be a great addition to your collection.
The Norse God Thor is known for wielding his hammer to direct electric frequencies into bolts of lightning and this cable seems to do the same. Expertly controlling the audio frequencies and directing the channels of energy evenly and with precision.
As my title says ‘Lightning Strikes Again‘ and following on from the success of the Ares II plus, Effect Audio have called on the powers from the Gods again to give the Thor Silver II Cable its magic.
Effect Audio Product Details:
http://www.effectaudio.com/upgrade-cables/iem-cables/iem-premium-series/standard/thor-silver-ii.html
The manufacturer cable features and technical specifications:
Manufacturer Notes: A multi-sized stranded design within the same encapsulations enables the Thor Silver II to achieve distinct highs and details due to the signal transmission speed in thinner cable strands, while the thicker size cable strands are usually employed for smooth bass and mids
Pricing:
USD $349.99 for most connectors
Add $20 for FitEar connectors
Add $50 for JH Audio connectors
This review is from earphonia.com
Re-posted on headfi to share the impressions from http://earphonia.com/earphone-cables/effect-audio-iem-cable-thor-silver-ii-lightning-strikes
Re-posted on headfi to share the impressions from http://earphonia.com/earphone-cables/effect-audio-iem-cable-thor-silver-ii-lightning-strikes
As a lot of you know I am already a big fan of Effect Audio’s cables, so I was very pleased to hear about their new silver cable release.
I spent no time putting an order in to snap up the Thor Silver II IEM cable and as always their speed of processing was impressive, built and shipped to the UK in less than 1 week.
This cable is part of their excellent Premium Series range of cables.
http://www.effectaudio.com/upgrade-cables/iem-cables/iem-premium-series/standard/thor-silver-ii.html
Build Quality, Aesthetics and Ergonomics:
The cable is shipped in the standard Effect Audio cardboard hard box with soft foam inner padding for protection in transit.
I chose the 2.5mm balanced edition with MMCX connectors and as soon as I lifted the box lid and set eyes on it, I was very pleased with what was before me.
The texture and softness of this cable radiates quality and its lightness makes you forget you are even wearing it at times.
I experienced no microphonics or unwanted external sound transfer using this cable.
It is very difficult to capture the shimmering ethereal crystal litz cable but I will try with my camera shots.
It seems to switch from a greyish silver to an ice white sparkle with the thick silver strands tightly woven together.
The 2.5 balanced plug and Y join section complements the cable style perfectly, with its stark solid metal and elegant black carbon fibre centre.
As expected from such a respected brand, the parts used looked to be of a very high standard and the connectors were tight on the earphones I used for this review – Campfire Audio Jupiter and Westone W60.
There we no cut outs or loose fits with my earphones, which I have experienced in the past with MMCX connectors.
Both earphones paired well with this cable:
With the Westone W60 smooth and natural sounding while the Jupiter was brighter, with more sparkle and distinct layering.
I have no problem recommending this cable for both these excellent IEMs.
Sources Used:
For this review I used my trusted Astell and Kern AK380 Copper Digital Audio Player
and my VentureCraft SounDroid Valoq (SDP-1)
These are easily 2 of my favourite DAPs, so it was a natural choice to use them, also they both have 2.5 balanced capability – so a perfect match for the Thor II Silver cable.
Both players had good synergy with this cable, offering up their own signature differences to great effect.
The AK380CU fires out its reference transparency and distinct layering effortlessly.
However recently I have been really drawn towards smoother, warmer, more organic signatures. So the Valoq has been serving me royally when coupled with the correct OpAmps, my preference of late are the highly respected OPA627SM Op Amps.
Sound Signature
This cable surprised me from the get go, as the signature was somewhat different to what I am used to with Silver or Litz composition cables.
My experience in the past with Moon Audio silver dragon cables and the Alo Campfire Litz cables both provided a strong focus on transparency and treble refinement whereas the Thor Silver II provided a much more balanced signature with smoothness and texturing its primary strengths. Upper treble is tamed and softened as well, excellent for removing unwanted sharpness.
This suited me perfectly and drew me further towards the organic musical signatures that I am falling for these days.
Bass attack especially in the sub bass area is tighter giving it a well rounded feel.
The following track is a great example of how the Thor Silver II cable handles the tight bass attack with full extended sub bass.
Daft Punk – Around The World
Daft Punk’s excellent techno groove has a much punchier tighter kick to it now.
Mids are rich with strong presence, fuller but without any additional colouring or artificial weight.
The Scratch 22 Electric Wire Hustle remix below has open live sounding vocals lifted but still raw and soulful, all balanced inline with the strong backing percussion.
Vocals are natural and maintain the emotion and passion of the singer. The Thor Silver II cable also adds softness, making them slightly more intimate and airy.
Electric Wire Hustle – Again (Scratch 22 Remix)
The wonderful Chemical Structures electronica track is a great choice to show off the wider staging and balance of this cable.
Fast and complex electronica tracks, especially with lush synth arpeggios, these are navigated effortlessly without struggling to keep up with the pace.
Layering and depth is carried out expertly by the Thor Silver II cable. Synths are immersive with wide staging depth but not dominating or shadowing.
Ricardo Donoso – Chemical Structures
Conclusion:
I am happy to recommend this cable, especially for those who are into dynamic music, EDM or Vocal tracks.
This cable is extremely well balanced and really can handle everything you throw at it.
If you like sub bass immersion and tight hitting mid bass, this cable will be a great addition to your collection.
The Norse God Thor is known for wielding his hammer to direct electric frequencies into bolts of lightning and this cable seems to do the same. Expertly controlling the audio frequencies and directing the channels of energy evenly and with precision.
As my title says ‘Lightning Strikes Again‘ and following on from the success of the Ares II plus, Effect Audio have called on the powers from the Gods again to give the Thor Silver II Cable its magic.
Effect Audio Product Details:
http://www.effectaudio.com/upgrade-cables/iem-cables/iem-premium-series/standard/thor-silver-ii.html
The manufacturer cable features and technical specifications:
- 26 AWG
- UPOCC Pure Silver Litz
- Proprietary Multi-Size Stranded design within single encapsulation
- Flexible insulation (same as Leonidas)
- New EA CF connectors and Y-Split
Manufacturer Notes: A multi-sized stranded design within the same encapsulations enables the Thor Silver II to achieve distinct highs and details due to the signal transmission speed in thinner cable strands, while the thicker size cable strands are usually employed for smooth bass and mids
Pricing:
USD $349.99 for most connectors
Add $20 for FitEar connectors
Add $50 for JH Audio connectors
This review is from earphonia.com
Re-posted on headfi to share the impressions from http://earphonia.com/earphone-cables/effect-audio-iem-cable-thor-silver-ii-lightning-strikes