Effect Audio cables thread

[normie610]

Very tempted to get one for my LCDi4. Daunting purchase given I can’t demo it. Need a couple more reviews to come in to push me over the edge.

Look forward to the moment you go over the edge and hear your impressions, especially with the WM1Z pairing.

1Z + Horus + i4, now that would be the ultimate portable combo I reckon.

 

[nogi replicant]

Look forward to the moment you go over the edge and hear your impressions, especially with the WM1Z pairing.

1Z + Horus + i4, now that would be the ultimate portable combo I reckon.

Yes it would be a killer combination but I am actually leaning towards getting the Horus with the 3.5SE PSquared plug as I generally pair the i4 with the WA8 and the Tia Fourte with the 1z. The Fourte + truth cable + 1z is epic and really amazes me how good it sounds, but I will still be getting my 1z modded soon. However, I think that I like the i4 with WA8 even better. I could always get the 4.4 pentacon with the Horus and a 4.4 to 3.5SE adapter for the WA8 but given the WA8 will be my main driver for the i4 I figure I should probably go as clean as possible and remove the adapter from the equation. If I do move from the WA8 at som stage it would probably b to a Hugo 2 which I believe also has a 3.5SE out. Sucks to have to decide though. I wish something like the Dita Awesome plug was universal across manufacturers as I love that I can just switch from 4.4 to 3.5 and vica versa with ease on my Fourte’s with Truth cable.

 

[normie610]

Yes it would be a killer combination but I am actually leaning towards getting the Horus with the 3.5SE PSquared plug as I generally pair the i4 with the WA8 and the Tia Fourte with the 1z. The Fourte + truth cable + 1z is epic and really amazes me how good it sounds, but I will still be getting my 1z modded soon. However, I think that I like the i4 with WA8 even better. I could always get the 4.4 pentacon with the Horus and a 4.4 to 3.5SE adapter for the WA8 but given the WA8 will be my main driver for the i4 I figure I should probably go as clean as possible and remove the adapter from the equation. If I do move from the WA8 at som stage it would probably b to a Hugo 2 which I believe also has a 3.5SE out. Sucks to have to decide though. I wish something like the Dita Awesome plug was universal across manufacturers as I love that I can just switch from 4.4 to 3.5 and vica versa with ease on my Fourte’s with Truth cable.

I actually love WA8 with i4 combo (the full DAC/AMP function not AMP only, oh that sweeeet tube sound is haunting me night and day). But what I need is portability, so I went instead for the 1Z as I don't have the budget to own them both (I wish I do ). Since you'll be going with SE with your Horus, then there's no way that you can test the 1Z + Horus + i4 combo using balanced out?

 

[blazinblazin]

They did say they going to have a 4.4mm pentaconn collab. Looking forward to 4.4mm pentaconn collab Horus.

 

[chaiyuta]

They did say they going to have a 4.4mm pentaconn collab. Looking forward to 4.4mm pentaconn collab Horus.

I guess it should be Pentaconn OFC high grade version with Effect Audio barrel..

 

[kubig123]

Leonidas is amazing.

Is it just me, or is there a distinct Effect Audio house sound? Between Ares II, Thor II, and now Leo, I hear a marked liquidity and awesome smoothness I don't find in any other manufacturer.

Where these three cables depart is in tonality and transparency. Leonidas is the most transparent, and has warmer bass and mids than Thor II, but less inhibited treble. In other words, tia Fourté's highs are just as bright as ever, but it doesn't feel as bright due to the warmth of the other frequencies. Whereas Thor II smooths out and tames the treble to achieve a type of warmth, and loses some transparency in the process.

I asked Eric if EA had a cable that could compete with the plusSound GPC I found so wonderful for Fourté, and right now I'd say Leo more than competes. I can't wait to listen further.

I have the Leonidas, Lionheart and the Thor II+, I can certainly agree with you that even using different materials/technology they share some common sound quality.
In particular the Leonidas and Lionheart, both are warm, airy and add smoothness, even if the Leonidas is superior to the lionheart in term of soundstage and details.

Yesterday I tried the lionheart with the Encore and it deftly add some warm to the sound, slightly reducing the treble (and to a certain level the resolution), the change is quite significant.

Cannot wait to try the Horus.

 

[Fafner]

Yes it would be a killer combination but I am actually leaning towards getting the Horus with the 3.5SE PSquared plug as I generally pair the i4 with the WA8 and the Tia Fourte with the 1z. The Fourte + truth cable + 1z is epic and really amazes me how good it sounds, but I will still be getting my 1z modded soon. However, I think that I like the i4 with WA8 even better. I could always get the 4.4 pentacon with the Horus and a 4.4 to 3.5SE adapter for the WA8 but given the WA8 will be my main driver for the i4 I figure I should probably go as clean as possible and remove the adapter from the equation. If I do move from the WA8 at som stage it would probably b to a Hugo 2 which I believe also has a 3.5SE out. Sucks to have to decide though. I wish something like the Dita Awesome plug was universal across manufacturers as I love that I can just switch from 4.4 to 3.5 and vica versa with ease on my Fourte’s with Truth cable.

Not an easy decision for sure
But given that the LCDi4 is quite demanding, I'd always favor a balanced solution with it when available. I haven't tried my LCDi4 from my SP1000 unbalanced yet, but tried it balanced from my old AK240 (which does have a similar power output as the SP1000 unbalanced) and it was struggling.

 

[EffectAudio]

TOUR ALERT!

"Lionheart" impresses many with the excellent price-to-performance value and it's stellar performance in it's 4 wired form ; Soon, "Lionheart 8w" will be on tour across 3 heavily dense audiophile regions - UK+EU / USA / ASIA with selected participants!

Stay tuned for more info and participating outlets!
​

 

[Shmuel]

Please sign me up as I'm looking for a cable to compliment my new iem's.

Thanks!

 

[ironpeg]

I've tried LCD i4 with Horus on AK380Cu + Amp Cu. Not really fond of it. LCD i4 is just too bland. If you really want Horus with LCD i4, you need to ask EA not to put memory wires on the cable.
As of how Horus affect LCD i4, I'd say a bit more live to the sound, more body, better layering.

 

[ironpeg]

TOUR ALERT!

"Lionheart" impresses many with the excellent price-to-performance value and it's stellar performance in it's 4 wired form ; Soon, "Lionheart 8w" will be on tour across 3 heavily dense audiophile regions - UK+EU / USA / ASIA with selected participants!

Stay tuned for more info and participating outlets!
​

Select Me Me Me Me Me and Me

 

[nogi replicant]

I've tried LCD i4 with Horus on AK380Cu + Amp Cu. Not really fond of it. LCD i4 is just too bland. If you really want Horus with LCD i4, you need to ask EA not to put memory wires on the cable.
As of how Horus affect LCD i4, I'd say a bit more live to the sound, more body, better layering.

That is interesting, I put the i4 at the top of he iem pile, I recently ranked the iem's I own or have owned in another thread and it looks like this (all a matter of personal preference though):
1. LCD i4
2. Tia Fourte
3. Zeus XRA
4. Dita Dream
5. Final Lab 2
6. Noble Katana
7. Akg K3003
8. Final Lab 1
9. Fitear Parterre
10. Dita Answer Truth
11. Noble K10UA
12. Senns ie800

The attributes you describe above re horus and i4 would always be welcome, cheers.

 

[normie610]

I've tried LCD i4 with Horus on AK380Cu + Amp Cu. Not really fond of it. LCD i4 is just too bland. If you really want Horus with LCD i4, you need to ask EA not to put memory wires on the cable.
As of how Horus affect LCD i4, I'd say a bit more live to the sound, more body, better layering.

Are you saying that the pairing of Horus & i4 is not that good? Interesting...I thought Horus would give a good synergy with i4

 

[nogi replicant]

Not an easy decision for sure
But given that the LCDi4 is quite demanding, I'd always favor a balanced solution with it when available. I haven't tried my LCDi4 from my SP1000 unbalanced yet, but tried it balanced from my old AK240 (which does have a similar power output as the SP1000 unbalanced) and it was struggling.

The WA8 does not have a balanced out option, but from my testing with in ears it drives iem's better from it's 3.5SE than the 1z does out of it's 4.4. I also feel the same when I tested the sp1000 2.5 balanced vs WA8 3.5SE. Testing done with same iem, same cable (Dita truth with awesome plug). In saying that I think the 1z and SP1000 are my favourite portable DAP's, the WA8 is a different beast that can drive a large range of cans well and it is certainly not portable, just transportable.

 

[Imusicman]

Leonidas is amazing.

Is it just me, or is there a distinct Effect Audio house sound? Between Ares II, Thor II, and now Leo, I hear a marked liquidity and awesome smoothness I don't find in any other manufacturer.

Where these three cables depart is in tonality and transparency. Leonidas is the most transparent, and has warmer bass and mids than Thor II, but less inhibited treble. In other words, tia Fourté's highs are just as bright as ever, but it doesn't feel as bright due to the warmth of the other frequencies. Whereas Thor II smooths out and tames the treble to achieve a type of warmth, and loses some transparency in the process.

I asked Eric if EA had a cable that could compete with the plusSound GPC I found so wonderful for Fourté, and right now I'd say Leo more than competes. I can't wait to listen further.

Im really looking forward to reading the forthcoming reviews and comparisons between the Leonidas and the Horous. I have 3 cables on my shortlist I'm looking to upgrade with my W80/WM1Z combo. The Horous, Leonidas and 1960's 4 wire. I couldn't call it right now so the reviews will really help me to make a more informed decision.