[EffectAudio]

wow, you are probably the only representative from some brands responding. the bundled cable simply not giving clear enough separation of treble and vocal. some suggested leo2 or cleo, any comments please!

That’s surprising to hear, you’d think other companies would want to sell their cables as well

Those 2 cables came to mind first as well, as they pair nicely with warm iems. I did some side by side listening with the Phantom. Both are quite similar tonally, with a clear, neutral sound, characteristic of silver alloy cables. Where they differ mostly is their mid-bass, and its effect on the staging and midrange.

Leonidas has a punchy and controlled sub-bass, nice for electronic beats; very well-defined. But overall the bass is quite neutral due to the mid-bass, which is laidback both in terms of quantity and position. This adds a bit of depth and certainly width, creating an airy and spacious stage with great separation. Importantly, it also results in a very transparent midrange, which gives it a very dynamic sound – arguably its greatest selling point.

By comparison, Cleopatra has slightly more mid-bass quantity, resulting in a bit more impact and a livelier mid-bass (bass guitars pop out a bit more for instance, nice with rock music). While the midrange isn’t as transparent as Leo II, the midrange and therefore overall sound is as a result smoother. So, bit of a give and take there. Leo II has a bit more dynamism and 'in your face' sound which makes it exciting, but Cleopatra is very smooth and easy to listen to.

To summarise their relative differences:

Leonidas II:
+ Stage and separation
+ Midrange transparency

Cleopatra
+ Mid-bass quantity/impact
+ Smoothness

 

[choisan]

That’s surprising to hear, you’d think other companies would want to sell their cables as well

Those 2 cables came to mind first as well, as they pair nicely with warm iems. I did some side by side listening with the Phantom. Both are quite similar tonally, with a clear, neutral sound, characteristic of silver alloy cables. Where they differ mostly is their mid-bass, and its effect on the staging and midrange.

Leonidas has a punchy and controlled sub-bass, nice for electronic beats; very well-defined. But overall the bass is quite neutral due to the mid-bass, which is laidback both in terms of quantity and position. This adds a bit of depth and certainly width, creating an airy and spacious stage with great separation. Importantly, it also results in a very transparent midrange, which gives it a very dynamic sound – arguably its greatest selling point.

By comparison, Cleopatra has slightly more mid-bass quantity, resulting in a bit more impact and a livelier mid-bass (bass guitars pop out a bit more for instance, nice with rock music). While the midrange isn’t as transparent as Leo II, the midrange and therefore overall sound is as a result smoother. So, bit of a give and take there. Leo II has a bit more dynamism and 'in your face' sound which makes it exciting, but Cleopatra is very smooth and easy to listen to.

To summarise their relative differences:

Leonidas II:
+ Stage and separation
+ Midrange transparency

Cleopatra
+ Mid-bass quantity/impact
+ Smoothness

Appreciate your advice, will seriously go to try out the demo from my local dealer

 

[EffectAudio]

Now I see the product series of EA appear to be more organized, but then I have had a few cables from the older Premium and Heritage series. The description of the Vogue series, while priced lower, make it seem to be at least equal to, if not better than in some ways, the Premium series (e.g. Maestro vs Ares - same gauge size, supposedly "upgraded" multi strand size design etc). So what really are the differences, maybe taking the Maestro and Ares as an example? (Maybe I have missed something in the thread but please enlighten me even so)

This is an excellent question. I have the Maestro, Virtuoso and Grandioso with me so I was going to do a little comparison (or 'mini shootout' if you will, for @Layman1 ). But it makes a lot of sense to compare these two since Ares II is well-known so a good reference point for many.

Overall, Maestro and Ares have a different tone and their own relative strengths. Ares II has a pretty unique sound, combining a thicker mid-bass with brightish upper-mids/lower treble. The combination of the two results in its rich tonality and overall 'musical' signature I would say. Maestro has a similar clarity in the upper mids, but pairs it with a cooler, more controlled mid-bass. As a result, the overall sound is cleaner, both in terms of separation, which is better than Ares II (Ares II has thicker notes and a warmer stage), and tonality, which is clearer but also less natural than Ares II. Compared to Ares II, Maestro is only lightly warm. It's a bit of an intermediate between the clearer/brighter Virtuoso (SPC) and warmer Ares II.

The Grandioso in turn also has that similar clarity in the upper mids, but with a slightly warmer and more natural mid-bass than Maestro. I quite like its tone, its pretty natural and reminiscent of Eros II. It especially shines with acoustic and string instruments. I'd use Grandioso for acoustic guitars (singer/songwriter type music) or classical, and Ares II more for electric guitars or electronic music. I'll admit it's been a while since I've heard Eros II, but one difference with Grandioso is quite striking; Eros II has a (uniquely) pretty lean bass. So while their tone and naturalness is similar, Eros II has an airier stage with better separation. Grandioso's mid-bass is not that lean, although it can lack a bit of definition at times. But still, it's among my favs when it comes to tone.

On a scale from warmth/naturalness to brightness/clarity I would say: Ares II > Grandioso > Maestro > Virtuoso. Separation and staging is the reverse; Virtuoso and Maestro outperform Ares II and Grandioso. So people preferring a cleaner, more technical sound will prefer the former two, while the latter two are more natural in tonality.

 

[fiascogarcia]

Appreciate your advice, will seriously go to try out the demo from my local dealer

Here's a bit of EA magic dust: The Leo II/Cleo octa.

 

[EffectAudio]

Here's a bit of EA magic dust: The Leo II/Cleo octa.

Cool

What are you pairing it with?

 

[fiascogarcia]

Cool

What are you pairing it with?

Thanks! Using it with VE Elysium ciems and the WM1Z with MrWalkman's DMP-Z1 FW. By the way, thank you for the fast shipment! As you mentioned in a previous post, it feels like a great blend of the Leo transparency and Cleo smoothness.

 

[EffectAudio]

Thanks! Using it with VE Elysium ciems and the WM1Z with MrWalkman's DMP-Z1 FW. By the way, thank you for the fast shipment! As you mentioned in a previous post, it feels like a great blend of the Leo transparency and Cleo smoothness.

Damn that's fancy! Sounds like a killer combo. Great pic as well.

Well unfortunately I can't take any credit for the shipping, but good to know people are doing their job well They'll be happy to know.

 

[JonathanKlein]

Anyone using the Code 51, Horus X, or Horus Octa with the VE Elysium? I'm looking for the most transparent cable to use with these CIEMs.

 

[hshock76]

Received my black edition Maestro yesterday. Looks really good and build quality is excellent. Instant SQ upgrade on the Sony EX1K especially in the bass department.

 

[EffectAudio]

Anyone using the Code 51, Horus X, or Horus Octa with the VE Elysium? I'm looking for the most transparent cable to use with these CIEMs.

I haven't heard the Elysium yet unfortunately, but Code 51 is in a different class when it comes to resolution and transparency with all of the iems I have listened with. It is probably the most transparent cable I have heard till date.

 

[twister6]

Anyone using the Code 51, Horus X, or Horus Octa with the VE Elysium? I'm looking for the most transparent cable to use with these CIEMs.

Check out the cable rolling section of my Ely review. By far, C51 with Ely is my favorite pair up.

 

[EffectAudio]

Received my black edition Maestro yesterday. Looks really good and build quality is excellent. Instant SQ upgrade on the Sony EX1K especially in the bass department.

Thanks for sharing! Curious to hear what your impressions are on the SQ upgrade later on.

 

[hshock76]

Thanks for sharing! Curious to hear what your impressions are on the SQ upgrade later on.

Doing some burn-in and do more more listening over the weekend and report back. Right off the bat, the deeper sub-bass from the EX1K has really caught my attention with more body in mids. Together with the A105, I hear an analog, tube like signature; warm and organic. A nice smooth and laid back presentation which I can listen to for long sessions without fatigue.

 

[EagleWings]

A friend of mine asked me for a comparison between the EA Eros II 8W and the EleTech Plato. I thought I will share it here for anyone who might be interested in the same:

In terms of overall tonality, both cables would fall under the classification of neutral. While neither is predominantly bright or warm, the Plato leans towards a slightly thinner/brighter side of neutral, while the Eros leans towards the warmer/smoother side. Plato creates a traditional silver sound that is cleaner in the bass and shorter decays of notes throughout the spectrum compared to the Eros. While the Eros might not sound as clean as the Plato, it does have a slightly more analog timbre than the Plato. But the Plato steps it up in the performance department with larger stage, better transparency, resolution, separation, layering, imaging, details and darker background. Given that most current-gen, high-end IEMs out there have a lean, bright or peak sound, for my personal preferences I find the Eros to pair better with a lot more IEMs than the Plato. But if I were to use a analog sounding source and a warm/full/smooth sounding IEM, I think my preference would lean towards the Plato given the benefits in performance.

 

[Bosk]

Just put my Leonidas up for sale in the classifieds in case anyone's interested.