Indeed,
@ranfan and I managed to audition the Horus at our local Jaben a couple days ago, and here are my impressions (with comparisons to my daily driver, the PWAudio 2-wire 1960s)!
The Effect Audio Horus is cable that's worthy of its flagship status (though whether or not it's worth the price is
certainly a different question). It has a sound signature that's relatively uncoloured, neutral and transparent, and instead aims to improve technical performance instead of altering an IEM's specific "flavour."
The Horus's bass and lower midrange are among the most visceral, textured, well-layered, and deep I've ever heard from a cable. Overall bass quantity is above neutral and impact is readily felt, even with IEMs like the Empire Ears Zeus. Both width and depth impress as hits and rumbles extend to the left-most and right-most perimeters of the stage, and arrive with force and texture. Bass-y IEMs or IEMs that are tuned relatively neutrally but with a focus on vocals (i.e. the Warbler Prelude) may not benefit from this boost, but it complements IEMs like the Zeus excellently. Compared to the low-end of the 1960s, quantity is similar, but where they differ mainly is in presentation. The Horus presents its bass with less bloom, less richness and less body, sounding drier, tighter, and more physical. The Horus also bests the 1960s in low-end air and dynamics, where it punches harder and lets instruments like bass guitars gnash with grain. However, overall resolution down-low is similar - with body and separation carrying the 1960s where the Horus excels - but clarity, punch, power, and depth all belong to the Effect Audio flagship.
The midrange is where the competition gets tighter, with the 1960s teaching the Horus a lesson or two when it comes to emotional resonance, warmth, body and (ironically) depth. Where the Horus shines in the low-end, the 1960s fires back with a vocal presentation that's larger, grander and more expansive. Although articulation and clarity is superior on the Horus, with more air, upper-mid emphasis, and cut, it's a rather no-fuss presentation that's drier, more neutral, and less bodied. Although it aids separation, particularly in arrangements with multiple stringed instruments sharing a similar frequency region, it lacks the warmth, allure, and seductiveness of the 1960s's bloomy, cozy and honey-like midrange presentation. Overall soundstage is also the 1960s' game, where the Horus feels more boxed in (albeit, a box that's really clean, well-separated and well-layered) and the 1960s feels larger and more theatrical. Again, it's certainly a matter of preference, and both amaze in terms of resolution, imaging, and layering - with the 1960s the victor on depth, body, naturalness and scale, and the Horus trumping it in stage cleanliness, air and separation.
The upper midrange and treble is probably where the two titans differ most. The 1960s sticks to theme, with an upper midrange that provides minimal sparkle to maintain its warm and inviting atmosphere, and a treble that's superbly extended for brilliant overall resolution and top-class image stability, yet attenuated to avoid harshness or any unnecessary brightness. The Horus, on the other hand, reminds me of the A18's Tia-endowed treble presentation: Airy, accentuated, sparkly, clean, clear and lively, yet baby-bottom smooth. The Horus's treble presentation presents a tremendous amount of clarity and light with a brilliant balance of shimmer and smoothness for an ultimately painless delivery of detail. It's impressively tuned and, in my opinion, is a bigger achievement than the top-end of the 1960s, but that doesn't mean its straight-up better either. Despite the Horus's wildly different presentation and superior cleanliness and clarity, it's not miles ahead in resolution, and is edged out in naturalness, roundedness, and meatiness. Again, it's simply a matter of preference (truer than ever in this specific frequency range), and it'll come down to whether you'd rather have your IEMs sound cleaner or more natural. Either way, you'll be gifted with grade-A technical performance to complement the rest of the spectrum.
So, with all this out of the way, the S$2,399 question still remains: Do I think the Horus is worth the cash? As someone who owns an IEM like the Zeus, had I not owned the 2-wire 1960s already, today would mark the next six months I'd spend thinking about whether or not I should ditch my plans of buying a car. But, as a 1960s owner, even in 2-wire form, I don't think the technical improvements and difference in character are enough for me to warrant an upgrade. However, if you can afford to splurge the cash, and you want one of the most transparent, revealing, and well-performing cables on the market to attach to your IEM, then I'd suggest you give the Horus a look.
P.S.
@EffectAudio, this happened within days of the unit arriving at Jaben Indonesia and me gently pulling the plug off of my Zeus; the metal barrel came off and spun freely with the adhesive holding no weight whatsoever. I sincerely hope no one out there with a S$2,399-lighter wallet shares the same fate...
) But great impressions again! Thanks for sharing!
