I had the great pleasure of meeting Eric at Canjam Socal and getting to try out the whole range of cables with multiple IEMs (U18t, Solaris, Katana, Encore and Andromeda). He was incredibly accommodating and it was so great to hear his thoughts on all the best pairings for each IEM (which were pretty much bang on for all). By a huge margin the Effect Audio booth was the highlight of my Canjam experience and I look forward to buying more of his amazing cables when he comes to London (I bought a Lionheart and Janus Basso at Canjam Socal - both AMAZING cables to add to the Leo II 8-wire that I already own).
Talking of which, I got to try out the three new mystery cables. Please excuse my amateur reviews below. I will try and explain in the simplest terms what I heard. I probably won't be using the correct terminology and, of course, everyone hears things differently so these are merely my takes on these great cables.
The 'copper' cable was an absolutely perfect match for the Encores. It softened the occasionally sharp treble that the Encore suffers from whilst maintaining a surprisingly airy transparency and clarity, whilst really satisfyingly bringing out the mid and sub bass so the Encore can shine to the best of its abilities. It's perhaps a little too warm for a hybrid tuned like the Solaris but if EDM is your thing, then you'll love that pairing too. The Katanas get a little bit more bass but are perhaps a bit too veiled on the top end and, as such, the soundstage is a little compressed. Still a very 'smooth' listen if that's your bag, but maybe a little too warm on the high end with the Katanas if it's not. The U18ts get a nice low end extension and the upper trebles surprisingly didn't feel that compromised. I think the best word to describe the mids (and the cable itself) is 'lush'. I really, really love this cable.
The 'silver' cable brings out exceptional clarity and width and is an excellent pairing with the Solaris but perhaps extends the treble too far for the Encores, U18t and Andromedas. I was kicking myself that I didn't bring my Atlases or Vegas because I feel that this cable would be an exceptional pairing with either of them, slightly tightening the bass extension but bringing out the upper mids and treble. It's an exceptional cable for what I suspect the price is but I think it has definitely been designed with a specific kind of IEM pairing in mind. It was a very smooth, pleasant listen on the Katanas, extending the treble a little whilst keeping the mid bass (the core of the Katanas in my opinion) slightly tighter. Without the right pairing (in my opinion and Eric's being the Lionheart, which brings out a fantastic, fast, airier yet snappy sound that I love in them) the Katanas can be fairly dull and neutrally balanced, but this 'silver' cable, whilst never snappy and aggressive, brings out a very mellow pleasing tone in them.
The 'copper/silver' cable has fantastic extension on both ends and was a great all-rounder pairing for pretty much all the IEMs. For the Encore it might be a bit much occasionally on the treble end but for the Katana and Solaris it paired incredibly well. In many ways it felt like a Lionheart jnr. which did make me wonder if there was an element of gold as well as silver plated copper going on with this cable. It's not quite as punchy as the Lionheart with these pairings but still extending the bass and keeping the treble pleasing whilst pushing the mids/Vocals forward slightly. It was also pretty good with the U18ts. I've been spoilt by having listened to the U18ts with my Leonidas II Octa for a while and nothing (except the Janus Basso!) really compares but I'd say that this was a great lower-budget option for the U18ts, bringing out a little of the rich mids of that IEM and extending the bass in a very pleasing way. It's similarly pretty great with the Andromedas, bringing out a slightly richer bass that the Andromeda really needs to bring the most out of them, in my opinion.
At first I thought that the cost would be the 'copper' cable on the lower end, the 'silver' cable in the middle and the 'copper/silver' at the higher end of the range. But after listening to all three a little further, I suspect that it's probably exactly the other way around. So my guess would be something like... 'Copper/Silver' - $199, 'Silver' - $249 and 'Copper' - $299. Honestly, if they all fall in that budget range, then they are all exceptional value and I have already asked Eric to bring along a 'copper' and 'copper/silver' to Canjam London for me to buy if they are ready in time as I particularly love both of those cables. The 'silver' is great too but I already have enough great cables that are already paired with the IEMs I own that it would best suit. The form factor of the connector is really nice too, if that's similar to what ends up on the final cables, of course.
This, I suspect, 'budget' range really steps up the level of what a budget range can be and, if they fall roughly within the costings that I suspect they will be, all three cables will be a huge, and well deserved, hit for Eric and Effect Audio. I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on them.
