Kunlun
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2010
- Posts
- 3,750
- Likes
- 386
Introduction:
This is a comparison I know a number of people had wanted to read about. Since I've had a chance to listen to both, I thought I'd share what I hear.
Now, I probably won't be doing a full write-up, but just cutting to the chase and talking about sound.
In case it's not obvious, the "ag" of TWag is the chemical notation for silver and it's a pure silver cable. The "Silver" in Silver Poison, well, you get the idea, it's also a pure silver cable (although it does have a very small amount of gold as well).
I used the same set-up to listen extensively to both cables: The lovely stage monitor the Future Sonics MG6Pro. Listening via the Heir Audio 6.A, another top-tier custom iem, showed the same sound characteristics for each cable. For amplification, I used the musical and detailed portable amp the TTVJ Slim.
The TWag:
The TWag has what I consider to be a typical silver cable sound. Let's compare first to the stock cable for a custom iem (yes, they may look slightly different, but the stock cables for most custom iem companies from UM to JHA to Westone to Heir Audio to Future Sonics to 1964 Ears, etc. come from the same company). Okay, so against the stock copper cable the first thing I notice is that the TWag sounds noticeably more detailed. I find that silver cables tend to sound more detailed up and down the spectrum compared to stock.
It's also a thinner sound in the midrange and less warm. The bass on the TWag doesn't have that slight mid-bass hump that a person might not have realized that the stock cable has until they had something else to compare it to. On the other end of the frequency range, the treble is audibly brighter with the TWag.
Now, we have our silver sound in a nutshell: Detailed, thinner, boosted up top and not as robust down below. Let's compare this to the Silver Poison.
The Silver Poison:
My full review of the Silver Poison is here, for anyone interested.
The Silver Poison has a small amount of gold mixed into the silver. Whether this is what gives the Silver Poison it's special sound, or something else, I can't say, but the Silver Poison definitely has a different sound than the TWag.
Actually, let me start with a similarity: They both have excellent detail.
The Silver Poison, however, clearly has more and deeper bass than the TWag. The Silver Poison is like the TWag in that it doesn't have the mid-bass warmth of a copper, but the Silver Poison gives you sub-bass extension and body the TWag doesn't. In this way, the Silver Poison will make a lot of people happy who might otherwise have stayed away from a silver cable. You've both the detail and the bass.
In terms of the mids, the Silver Poison avoids the thinness of the TWag. Everything is clear and detailed, but there's just a touch more fullness to the sound. There's a greater sense of presence to the note and I'd say this is true not just for the mids, but all along the spectrum. I don't want to exaggerate it as this is a subtle effect, but I think it's audible and important as it balances out the silver sound.
For the treble, the TWag is brighter and those who like a bright sound should go with the TWag. The Silver Poison, however, is smoother and again has that little extra fullness. You get a little extra volume in the treble from the TWag, at the cost of a bit of harshness in some recordings. It's bright versus smooth and balanced.
Conclusion:
We've got a different sound for each cable and both are excellent.
The TWag is a great complement for those who like what silver cables are known for: A bright sound, thin, very detailed and clear. It's for those who want an analytical type of sound.
The Silver Poison is for those who want the clean detail of a silver but want a more balanced sound that gives very nice bass. The little hint of extra richness and smoothness goes very nicely in the treble and midrange for a more musical take on a typical silver cable.
Like I say, both are excellent, but I know which one I reach for.
This is a comparison I know a number of people had wanted to read about. Since I've had a chance to listen to both, I thought I'd share what I hear.
Now, I probably won't be doing a full write-up, but just cutting to the chase and talking about sound.
In case it's not obvious, the "ag" of TWag is the chemical notation for silver and it's a pure silver cable. The "Silver" in Silver Poison, well, you get the idea, it's also a pure silver cable (although it does have a very small amount of gold as well).
I used the same set-up to listen extensively to both cables: The lovely stage monitor the Future Sonics MG6Pro. Listening via the Heir Audio 6.A, another top-tier custom iem, showed the same sound characteristics for each cable. For amplification, I used the musical and detailed portable amp the TTVJ Slim.
The TWag:
The TWag has what I consider to be a typical silver cable sound. Let's compare first to the stock cable for a custom iem (yes, they may look slightly different, but the stock cables for most custom iem companies from UM to JHA to Westone to Heir Audio to Future Sonics to 1964 Ears, etc. come from the same company). Okay, so against the stock copper cable the first thing I notice is that the TWag sounds noticeably more detailed. I find that silver cables tend to sound more detailed up and down the spectrum compared to stock.
It's also a thinner sound in the midrange and less warm. The bass on the TWag doesn't have that slight mid-bass hump that a person might not have realized that the stock cable has until they had something else to compare it to. On the other end of the frequency range, the treble is audibly brighter with the TWag.
Now, we have our silver sound in a nutshell: Detailed, thinner, boosted up top and not as robust down below. Let's compare this to the Silver Poison.
The Silver Poison:
My full review of the Silver Poison is here, for anyone interested.
The Silver Poison has a small amount of gold mixed into the silver. Whether this is what gives the Silver Poison it's special sound, or something else, I can't say, but the Silver Poison definitely has a different sound than the TWag.
Actually, let me start with a similarity: They both have excellent detail.
The Silver Poison, however, clearly has more and deeper bass than the TWag. The Silver Poison is like the TWag in that it doesn't have the mid-bass warmth of a copper, but the Silver Poison gives you sub-bass extension and body the TWag doesn't. In this way, the Silver Poison will make a lot of people happy who might otherwise have stayed away from a silver cable. You've both the detail and the bass.
In terms of the mids, the Silver Poison avoids the thinness of the TWag. Everything is clear and detailed, but there's just a touch more fullness to the sound. There's a greater sense of presence to the note and I'd say this is true not just for the mids, but all along the spectrum. I don't want to exaggerate it as this is a subtle effect, but I think it's audible and important as it balances out the silver sound.
For the treble, the TWag is brighter and those who like a bright sound should go with the TWag. The Silver Poison, however, is smoother and again has that little extra fullness. You get a little extra volume in the treble from the TWag, at the cost of a bit of harshness in some recordings. It's bright versus smooth and balanced.
Conclusion:
We've got a different sound for each cable and both are excellent.
The TWag is a great complement for those who like what silver cables are known for: A bright sound, thin, very detailed and clear. It's for those who want an analytical type of sound.
The Silver Poison is for those who want the clean detail of a silver but want a more balanced sound that gives very nice bass. The little hint of extra richness and smoothness goes very nicely in the treble and midrange for a more musical take on a typical silver cable.
Like I say, both are excellent, but I know which one I reach for.
