It’s not too often that I get to experience what an aftermarket cable can do to a products sound, there’s just not an opportunity to try them out on the gear I have. So when Effect Audio put forth a tour showcasing their new Vogue line of iem cables I definitely had to put my name in the basket because I even own their Eres II cable and greatly love it. Believe me, during my 4ish years of showing my ugly mug on YouTube doing reviews I hear both sides um *cough cough* passionate debates on their feelings of cables being snake oil vs actually improving a products sound and I for one am a firm believer that a cable does make a difference in the sound (the cost of some models is to each users own discretion as far as if it’s worth it or not). With that being said, let me discuss with you what me and my ears heard during my time with the Effect Audio Vogue series of iem cables.
A little about me
I would like to say that first and foremost I am NOT an “audiophile” but rather an audio enthusiast. I listen to music to enjoy it. Do I prefer a lossless source? Yes, of course. But I can still be very happy streaming from Pandora or even my YouTube “My Mix” playlist. I also prefer equipment that sounds the best to me personally regardless of what frequency response it has or rather or not it's “sonically accurate” and I always have and shall continue to encourage others to do the same.
I'm a firefighter for both the civilian and military sector and the cliché of wanting to do this since I was born couldn't be more present with me. I've worked hard over the last several years to earn this position and now it's time for me to work even harder to keep it.
I enjoy fishing and relaxing to audio products and then reviewing them to help others decide on what products would work for them. Few things make me as an audio enthusiast/review feel more accomplished than when someone tells me that I helped them find the type of sound they've always been looking for.
Now, the sound signature I personally favor is a relaxing, warm and sensual sound that just drifts me away in the emotional experience of the music being performed. Yes, accuracy is still important but I will happily sacrifice some of that if I'm presented with a clean, warm sound that can wisp me away into an experience that makes me yearn for more.
My ideal signature are that of respectably forward mids and upper bass range with the bass being controlled but with some slight decay. I like my treble to have nice extension and detail reveal with a smooth roll off up top as to not become harsh in the least. Examples of products that have given me chills and keep giving me the yearning for more feels are (in no particular order) Bowers & Wilkins P7, Oppo PM-1/2, Empire Ears Hermes VI & Zeus XIV, Audeze LCD-XC, Meze Headphones 99 Classics.
I would like to say that first and foremost I am NOT an “audiophile” but rather an audio enthusiast. I listen to music to enjoy it. Do I prefer a lossless source? Yes, of course. But I can still be very happy streaming from Pandora or even my YouTube “My Mix” playlist. I also prefer equipment that sounds the best to me personally regardless of what frequency response it has or rather or not it's “sonically accurate” and I always have and shall continue to encourage others to do the same.
I'm a firefighter for both the civilian and military sector and the cliché of wanting to do this since I was born couldn't be more present with me. I've worked hard over the last several years to earn this position and now it's time for me to work even harder to keep it.
I enjoy fishing and relaxing to audio products and then reviewing them to help others decide on what products would work for them. Few things make me as an audio enthusiast/review feel more accomplished than when someone tells me that I helped them find the type of sound they've always been looking for.
Now, the sound signature I personally favor is a relaxing, warm and sensual sound that just drifts me away in the emotional experience of the music being performed. Yes, accuracy is still important but I will happily sacrifice some of that if I'm presented with a clean, warm sound that can wisp me away into an experience that makes me yearn for more.
My ideal signature are that of respectably forward mids and upper bass range with the bass being controlled but with some slight decay. I like my treble to have nice extension and detail reveal with a smooth roll off up top as to not become harsh in the least. Examples of products that have given me chills and keep giving me the yearning for more feels are (in no particular order) Bowers & Wilkins P7, Oppo PM-1/2, Empire Ears Hermes VI & Zeus XIV, Audeze LCD-XC, Meze Headphones 99 Classics.
Equipment used at least some point during the review
-Headphone(s)
-Empire Ears Hermes VI
-Cayin YB04
-Sources
-Cayin N6ii
-Headphone(s)
-Empire Ears Hermes VI
-Cayin YB04
-Sources
-Cayin N6ii
Disclaimer
I am by no means sponsored by this company or any of its affiliates. They were kind enough to send me a product for an arranged amount of time in exchange for my honest opinion. I am making no monetary compensation for this review.
The following is my take on the product being reviewed. It is to be taken “with a grain of salt” per say and as I always tell people, it is YOUR opinion that matters. So regardless of my take or view on said product, I highly recommend you listen to it yourself and gauge your own opinion.
I am by no means sponsored by this company or any of its affiliates. They were kind enough to send me a product for an arranged amount of time in exchange for my honest opinion. I am making no monetary compensation for this review.
The following is my take on the product being reviewed. It is to be taken “with a grain of salt” per say and as I always tell people, it is YOUR opinion that matters. So regardless of my take or view on said product, I highly recommend you listen to it yourself and gauge your own opinion.
The Opening Experience
Why I feel so strongly about the initial unboxing experience
Please allow me to explain why I feel so strongly about the initial unboxing experience with a product. Maybe it’s due to my southern roots in the hills of eastern Kentucky, but I’ve always been raised under the pretense of when you introduce yourself to someone for the first time you present yourself with confidence, class, character, pride, and competence. You greet the other person with a true warm smile, eye contact and a firm handshake. Anything less or short implies to other person that you either don’t care about them, are too full of yourself, too busy to be bothered by the likes of them, or worse, just generally disrespectful.
As a consumer, I take this same belief to when I open a new product. Why? Because think about it this way. How else can a company introduce themselves to their customers? How do they present their products? Are they packaged with pride and presented in such a way that makes the listener eager to listen to them? Or maybe they’re just wrapped up and placed in an available space. How about the box itself? Is it bogged down with jargon that says look at this, look what I can do. I’m better than anything on the market and here’s why read this and check out that. Or, is the package clean, simplistic and classy? As if saying to the customer ‘Good day, pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Please give me a listen and allow me to show you what I can do and allow my actions to speak louder than my words.’
This is why I feel so strongly about the initial presentation of a product, and I feel it’s truly a shame more people don’t. But with all that aside, let’s discuss how this products introduced itself shall we?
Please allow me to explain why I feel so strongly about the initial unboxing experience with a product. Maybe it’s due to my southern roots in the hills of eastern Kentucky, but I’ve always been raised under the pretense of when you introduce yourself to someone for the first time you present yourself with confidence, class, character, pride, and competence. You greet the other person with a true warm smile, eye contact and a firm handshake. Anything less or short implies to other person that you either don’t care about them, are too full of yourself, too busy to be bothered by the likes of them, or worse, just generally disrespectful.
As a consumer, I take this same belief to when I open a new product. Why? Because think about it this way. How else can a company introduce themselves to their customers? How do they present their products? Are they packaged with pride and presented in such a way that makes the listener eager to listen to them? Or maybe they’re just wrapped up and placed in an available space. How about the box itself? Is it bogged down with jargon that says look at this, look what I can do. I’m better than anything on the market and here’s why read this and check out that. Or, is the package clean, simplistic and classy? As if saying to the customer ‘Good day, pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Please give me a listen and allow me to show you what I can do and allow my actions to speak louder than my words.’
This is why I feel so strongly about the initial presentation of a product, and I feel it’s truly a shame more people don’t. But with all that aside, let’s discuss how this products introduced itself shall we?
The opening experience to the Vogue series of cables was as simplistic and straightforward as I’d like it to be. They each come in a white box with Effect Audio’s logo and name on it with a sticker on the side that tells what the model is and the selected terminations. In terms of its simplicity, I loved it. Effect Audio, to me, is telling their users to let the cables do the talking for them; Effect Audio has no need to bog down their boxes with jargon, their cables are more than competent enough to speak their own praise. The only thing I REALLY wish Effect Audio added, was a lip of some sorts so that you can open the box easier, sometimes it’s a real turd to get that air suction to let go.
Construction
The build quality of the 3 cables is beautifully braided together in a 4 braid configuration with each cable terminated in a multitude of possibilities that the buyer can choose from when purchasing theirs (my review sample each came terminated in 2pin-2.5mm balanced).The split is an aluminum divider that also comes with a plastic slider which can cinch down on the user's chin or behind the head for extra security is the user so chooses.
Like most braided cables, though they’re my personal preference over their popular tubular rival, they do have a problem becoming tangled in themselves and it’s an entangling that actually requires you to pull it apart and not just “flick it” like you often can with tubular designed cables. Guess that’s the cost of beauty, and again on a personal note I gladly pay that because goodness to braided cables look beautiful especially mesh cables such as the Grandioso.
My only drawback that I potentially have with these cables is one that I commonly have with my personal Eres II cable and that’s the aluminum cover covering the terminations, on both ends, often like to come off and slide down the cable. To stress, this issue did NOT happen with the tour samples I was sent but for the most part they utilize the same construction so the potential is very much there.
Sound
Before I start this section. It should go without saying but though I link YouTube videos when I’m giving examples, this is for convenience only. If applicable, I HIGHLY encourage you to listen to the music I’m referencing on as high a quality as possible to experience the fullest sound possible.
Maestro
Starting with Effect Audio’s entry level Vogue cable, the Maestro is a pure copper cable and as such has an expected boost to the bass and mid range. I personally prefer the sound that copper cables provide because they give an iem a, with me, very welcomed boost to warmth and IMO sense of musicality. Effect Audio’s Maestro is of no exception. The Maestro improved the bass on the Cayin YB04 by adding a nice amount of oomph while also accenting the already full mids. Treble is noticeably reduced compared to it’s stock cable but that’s to be expected with the removal of the silver that Cayin used in it’s silver-copper mesh cable.
I really commend Effect Audio for what they did with the Maestro cable. For the very reasonable price, in reference, they’re asking ($100), the Maestro gives a very nice nod to musicality that will either accent an iems already musical sound or tone down a little bit of unwanted brightness.
-A/B with Effect Audio’s Eres II cable. As Effect Audio directly mentions that the Maestro is evolved from their Eres II sound I only found it appropriate and befitting to compare the Maestro with my own personal Eres II cable. This was actually a quicker comparison that I originally thought it would have been (before listening) but to me and my ears, the only difference that I can hear is that the bass on the Maestro is slightly deeper than that of the Eres II while the Eres II is objectively better made and accented, which is to be expected for it’s $50 more.
Virtuoso
The “middle of the road” in the Vogue lineup. The Virtuoso is an all Silver cable that was inspired by Effect Audio’s very successful Thor model. The Virtuoso, to my ears, is an incredibly revealing cable that does a very surprising job, when considering it’s asking price, at accenting a musical pieces micro details. In the song “Glassy Sky” by Donna Burke the shaker that’s played throughout the piece is always present whereas in the previous Maestro cable, as well as other companies stock cable I review this song with, the shaker is very quiet and only an afterthought that you kind of need to focus on to be able to hear as cleanly as you can in the Virtuoso.Listening to the song “Po Lazarus” by James Carter & The Prisoners in addition to hearing the actual rocks being moved inside the bucket, which is a feat that very few iems and cables can claim, around the 45 second mark there’s a very faint “pick” metal on metal sound (gonna need the CD version or better for that, YouTube isn’t able to produce it) that I’ve only heard a few times before, but truthfully forgotten about because it’s so rare to hear.
Most of the time, when I equip a silver cable to my iems of choice I only do so to listen to classical music and the like because, traditionally, the bass and lower mids drop off a bit harder than I prefer, hence I like copper cables so much. As with the Virtuoso’s granted they do have a noticeable bass drop off when coming from the Maestro and/or Grandioso cable but it surprised me as not being as prominent as I’m used to (from upper bass higher, the mid bass and lower is quite dipped down still).
Finally, and I’ll end on my used in about every review piece, the piece “Fertility of the Sea” performed by Senzoku Gakuen College of Music really shows off the transparency that the Maestro before it just couldn’t come up with. I believe this is due to the Virtuoso’s tuning towards detail retrieval whereas the Maestro was much more musical sounding in comparison. The drums sounded incredible and hyper life like. There’s many other percussion pieces I listen to that showcase this aptitude in the Virtuoso cable but I reference that one most often because I personally greatly enjoy the performance.
-A/b with BTG Audio Starlight cable. The analogy I made above with silver cables traditionally toning down the bass is a problem that BTG didn’t incorporate as much as other companies do, similar to that of the Effect Audio Virtuoso. Both cables focus on the micro details primarily vs the musicality for compared to the Effect Audio Maestro and/or Eres II the sound is much tighter, including the bass, but much less impactful. Now, directly comparing the Starlight, the bass is much heavier and impactful however the treble is nowhere near as transparent and airy sounding as the Virtuoso’s. My beloved Fertility of the Sea, though yes still sounds beautiful lost some of that realistic sound in the micro details when the performers Bachi hits the drum itself and not the drumhead.
Grandioso
The flagship product in the Vogue series. The Grandioso, if you haven’t already imagined, is taking the best of both the Maestro and the Virtuoso. The soundstage is a fair bit narrower than what’s on the Virtuoso but the micro details with the drums is very much there as is their impact. On the note of the bass, though it is very much so improved upon over the Virtuoso, to my ears, the impact was still more present and enjoyable on the Maestro’s. As for mids, they were just as clean and as musical as any of the other cables I mention in this review Kevin Staudt’s “Dear Agony” has a wonderful sense of emotion and everybit of it is heard as true as if he was singing to you personally, all while the piano’s timbre can have its own performance and none would complain.
- A/B with Cayin’s YB04 stock cable. As it would just so have it, I was coincidentally reviewing Cayin’s wonderful iem, the YB04, which also includes a copper-silver mesh cable so I was able to A/B them and the Grandioso. The first thing I noticed is that the Grandioso’s treble is significantly more accented than Cayin’s stock cable while also having a lesser bass impact. The first song I listened to was “Into The Coals” by Buffalo Jones and “Fertility of the Sea” performed by Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. On the note of the Fertility of the Sea, it was very slight but, to my ears, I did feel like the soundstage was a little bit wider. The drums didn’t sound as close to me as they did with Cayin’s stock cable.
Conclusion
My final thoughts on Effect Audio’s Vogue line of iem cables is that the build quality and sound their provide for the respectable asking price they are showcasing, IMO, is a fantastic place to start for people who have always been interested in betting how their favorite iem sounds but is a little hesitant about forking over a small fortune on other brands cable. They’re beautiful to look at, and to my ears, accent the sound with respect to the cable material you decide to go with.
Also, make sure to check out my unboxing and review videos. They’re pretty awesome AND you getta put a face to the Army-Firedawg name. If this review helped you out at all please hit that thumbs up button for it really helps me out a lot. Till next time my friends, stay safe.
Please, say which cables are the "better competitors".