[Paul Zhang]

Tempting..

@mvvRAZ

 

[ValerieAnderson]

Hello Effect Audio,

My fellow audiophiles in China today show me this photo - a apology letter from you and admitting to your cable pins are 0.80 instead of 0.78mm. Which spoilt and cracked alot of CIEM.

Im glad to hear that you are recalling all cables for free testing and changing of all 2Pins. May i know how do i arrange for this service for all my EA cables as well as how do you take care of the shipping. Im currently living in California and will not be able to return to China for some time. This service is global for all your customers am i right?

Here is the apology letter link：
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4478794263904028

 

[Nick Chia]

Hello Effect Audio,

My fellow audiophiles in China today show me this photo - a apology letter from you and admitting to your cable pins are 0.80 instead of 0.78mm. Which spoilt and cracked alot of CIEM.

Im glad to hear that you are recalling all cables for free testing and changing of all 2Pins. May i know how do i arrange for this service for all my EA cables as well as how do you take care of the shipping. Im currently living in California and will not be able to return to China for some time. This service is global for all your customers am i right?

Here is the apology letter link：
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4478794263904028

Hi ValerieAnderson,

Yes, this service is available to all of our global customers. Effect Audio is based in Singapore, so all the cables which are eligible for service would be shipped to Singapore. Please refer to the photo as attached for more information. Alternatively, you may follow our Facebook page for the latest updates, thank you.

 

[hke3g2006]

is the new code 51 affected???

 

[Nick Chia]

is the new code 51 affected???

Hi, the affected cables are a small minority among the total cables sold. The issue does not affect product-specific models so I am unable to confirm if all or any of the Code 51 products are affected. The chances of a customer holding onto an affected product is slim though and EA is providing remedy solutions for free.

Do refer to our latest FB post on the situation here for further clarifications:
https://www.facebook.com/effectaudiosg/posts/10158034515497236

 

[Vitor Valeri]

A big THANK-YOU to all of you who have signed up to join the Vogue tour!
Sign up is now closed.

I wish I could be more eloquent than this but words fail me.
Therefore, I let the pictures do the talking.

After your review is published, you will receive an exclusive, personalised gift from EA:



Yes, an EA bracelet version Vogue.
It will be customised according to the size of your wrist, crafted with the same material as Maestro and magnetic clasps that hook the two ends together.
On one of the clasps (where the EA logo is located), you can choose to have your personalised initials engraved.



The EA bracelet is not for sale.
It is a token of our gratitude, a bond that connects us to you.

Once you receive an email confirming the shipment of your demo, please take a measure of your wrist and PM me your size and letters for the engraving.

Thank you all again for your support.

When will EA bracelets be sent to users who participated in the World Tour?

Besides, I wanted to make an observation. Today I received a survey email for consumers from Effect Audio. While answering the questions asked, I remembered something I was about to report and I always forgot.

I already have the Effect Audio Thor II with the Y-Split mini for some years. Over time, the carbon detail got thinner, causing a relief at the junction between the metal and the carbon fiber. This relief causes noise when rubbing on my clothes (this didn't happen before, when the cable was younger).

 

[Nick Chia]

When will EA bracelets be sent to users who participated in the World Tour?

Besides, I wanted to make an observation. Today I received a survey email for consumers from Effect Audio. While answering the questions asked, I remembered something I was about to report and I always forgot.

I already have the Effect Audio Thor II with the Y-Split mini for some years. Over time, the carbon detail got thinner, causing a relief at the junction between the metal and the carbon fiber. This relief causes noise when rubbing on my clothes (this didn't happen before, when the cable was younger).

Well noted on the feedback, will let the survey team know about this as well. Thank you for participating in the survey!

 

[edwardsean]

Ok so rather than respond to individual PMs asking on my thoughts on the improvements after swapping out all the EA parts to other brand connectors, I thought it may be more helpful to just post it as a open thought.

The changes made involved removing everything but the stock horus y-split. Frankly, I personally found the y-split rather understated, and hence subtly elegant in its design as opposed to the usual y-split. I appreciated the design, and hence kept it.
Changes made:
2-pin: Tellurium copper pins (to replace the stock brass EA pins)
Barrel: Rosenkranz barrel (to replace the stock EA barrel)
4.4mm: Bispa OFC (to replace the stock EA plug)
Solder: Decided to stick to the Mundorf Silver gold solder. The Silver gold solder works fine in this case so no harm using it again.
Removal of the Ferrite bead (which acts as a low bass filter and replaced with stillpoiint ERS sheet

The changes were a refinement, rather than a change in signature of the cable. Thats good. To the Horus cable manufacturer's credit, the cable does sport a very well tuned signature that seeks to bring together transparency with an energetic signature. However, the Horus achieves its transparency by being, if anything, a little too lean sounding, mids sound thin, and the highs a little shrill. The bass remains ever present, sometimes even and is rarely an issue, probably thanks to the gold aspect of the cable that usually has a tendency to bring about authoritative bass. To sum it up, its a rather transparent cable, with a slightly unnatural timber. This is consistent across iems like the dream, the Legend X, the Legend R, Jomo Flamenco, and using players like the SP1k, the WM1Z, Fiio X1and the PAW gold. Its a good cable, but lacking.

So, one will see that the first changes involved replacing all stock EA connectors with copper connectors. The improvements, as mentioned, are arguable, but several users have stated that copper parts do make a difference, and given that EA has indeed publicised their new plugs as being superior to their previous plugs, we shall go with the assumption that these improvements in plugs aren't a figment of one's imagination. Generally, the OFC plugs from Bispa/Pentaconn tends to impart a more bodied (but not bassier) timber to the sound. Separation also goes up a notch, which leads to a perceived improvements in clarity. This is in comparison to plugs like the Oyaide palladium/plat plugs. I had tried using those when it first came out a couple of years back, but sent back to their standard gold plated plugs as I felt that it sounded slightly unnatural in its timbre. Furutech does lead to a similar increase in clarity, but as many have noticed they do have flaking issues, and their barrels do need more care to maintain its shine than other brands, and slightly alters the signature by increasing the bass slam. Simple gold plated OFC avoids most of these, and acts to improve rather than alter the signature.

Now, the next change, or rather removal, was the ferrite bead. EA claims that the ferrite bead 'rejects external signals'. However, this in turn behaves as a low pass filter. I felt that this may be the cause of the slightly lopsided timber, hence I decided to remove the ferrite bead, and use stillpoint ERS sheet instead. I've had fun with that before in my amps, so I cut out a strip and ghetto wrapped it around the barrel. I would like to say that this made a change, but I am unable to say so as this is the first time that I've actually tried using this in a cable. But, I can say, for certain, that it hasn't taken away the cable' potential, which is unfortunately what has happened with the ferrite bead. The ferrite bead made the Horus sound awkwardly lean in its mid and highs, its removal restored that natural body of the mids and highs,

All in all, these led to the removal of the aforementioned issues with the stock Horus cable. The biggest culprits I felt were the connectors used, and the ferrite bead. With cable manufacturers DHC and Toxic moving towards copper-based connectors, I found it mystifying that EA still uses brass plated plugs in its TOTL cable. Similarly, shielding at connectors is a valid concern, but the use of ferrite beads seems to be one step forward but two steps back. In short, the cable itself, is impressive, but the parts choice used in its builds are holding back its true potential. EA has certainly produced a remarkable cable design, but it still falls short of its real potential.

So, would I recommend the cable? I'm frankly on the fence about it. Firstly, its a ludicrous amount of money for a cable, and at 1.6k one might feel that said cash is better invested in a new IEM, sources or speakers. But, I found myself intrigued by the audacity of a company daring to make a statement that they have, a cable, that is worth 1.6k in sonic performance, and as I dont receive reviewer's units, or wish to use demo units since I prefer extended listening sessions in the comfort of my home, I decided to pull the trigger.

So, is this a 1.6k USD cable? Yes and No. I'm hard pressed to find find a 4-wire cable that equals its performance. It indeed edges the PW 1960 2-wire equivalent out in performance (the 1960 2 wire is in essence a standard 4 wire). But, when we compare absolute price, the 4 wire 1960 (post OFC parts upgrades) is a head above the horus.

So, if you value the flexibility of a 4 wire and cost no object, I would get the Horus and replace all its parts to make it the perfect daily driver cable. But, if sound is the priority, and one doesnt mind the thicker wire, I would opt for the alternative instead. I personally dont use my 1960as my daily driver, I can feel the cable weight on my ears, and hence I tend to avoid using it when on the move. I cannot feel the Horus on my ears, and hence, thankfully, I do have a place for this cable in my collection, as opposed to selling it because it adds nothing to my gear lineup.

It is, in my, opinion, the best travel use cable bar none. Its amazingly transparent, amazing spatial resolution, rather natural sounding in its timbre, and the 4 wire feels weightless on my ears. But, all these, only comes together as a whole cohesive package post modifications. But, ex nihilo nihil fit, and after this, I am glad to be able to contribute by adding that, to what we already know about the cable, that it still has room for improvements should one wish to go above and beyond the design choices made.

This is an old post, but I'm looking to replace the 2-pin IEM connectors on my Horus. Does anyone know if the current model still uses brass pins? I would like to use TeCu pins. Toxic is sadly out of stock, but Audio Sanctuary has them from PW Audio.

 

[Ultrainferno]

The Grandioso review, now on Headfonia!

https://www.headfonia.com/effect-audio-grandioso-review/

 

[Deferenz]

The Grandioso review, now on Headfonia!

https://www.headfonia.com/effect-audio-grandioso-review/

I've just read that. Nice review. I found the comparison with Eros II interesting.

 

[Layman1]

I thought I read somewhere that the Grandioso is copper and SPC, rather than copper and silver like the Eros?
Can anyone officially clarify this?
It would explain the cheaper price, although I understand that's also a result of improved efficiencies in the manufacturing process etc.
Anyway, what matters most is how it sounds of course, and there's quite a bit of positive feedback for that

 

[Wes S]

I thought I read somewhere that the Grandioso is copper and SPC, rather than copper and silver like the Eros?
Can anyone officially clarify this?
It would explain the cheaper price, although I understand that's also a result of improved efficiencies in the manufacturing process etc.
Anyway, what matters most is how it sounds of course, and there's quite a bit of positive feedback for that

Edited as I was wrong.

 

[420204]

Here's a quote from EA's website:
Succeeding our popular Eros II, Grandioso is a Hybrid cable employing ultra-purity OCC pure copper and pure silver materials

https://www.effectaudio.com/vogue-series/grandioso.html

 

[Wes S]

Here's a quote from EA's website:
Succeeding our popular Eros II, Grandioso is a Hybrid cable employing ultra-purity OCC pure copper and pure silver materials

https://www.effectaudio.com/vogue-series/grandioso.html

I stand corrected.

 

[Layman1]

Here's a quote from EA's website:
Succeeding our popular Eros II, Grandioso is a Hybrid cable employing ultra-purity OCC pure copper and pure silver materials

https://www.effectaudio.com/vogue-series/grandioso.html

Just to mention, I did go to their website to check before I posted.
I read that exact description too, but it occurred to me that a silver plated copper cable (SPC) could also be described as being made of "ultra-purity OCC pure copper and pure silver materials". Since both materials are genuinely involved in the construction of an SPC cable too.

So it doesn't necessarily confirm that either of us is right or wrong I suppose

Also, when posting on here, it can be hard to convey the spirit in which my comments were intended.
The thought about SPC just occurred to me and I thought it might be helpful to seek clarification.
It's not in any way intended as a criticism of Headfonia's review, which was both in-depth and helpful