Loving the multiple Aeneid's impressions
@Kiats , it's comforting to hear that the Aeneid is performing up to standard in lieu of my package arrival. I do have a question however - which i believe is on many of our minds: How does the Aeneid compare against the Iliad? Is it a good upgrade?
I just gave the Aeneid a very, very short listen, and I agree with what
@Kiats is saying. It's definitely a warmer, more relaxed, more analog-sounding cable. If I pair it with a more balanced, less-coloured IEM like the A18s, the higher instruments get in frequency, the farther they are from you, almost. But, to me, what that creates is a very deep, very spherical-sounding stage, which, by the way, is one of the largest I've ever heard from a cable upgrade. The Aeneid makes the A18s sound out-of-head, which I never would've associated with that in-ear previously.
And, its imaging precision is absolutely outstanding as well. I often use Dave Weckl and Chris Coleman's drum duet on the former's cover of
Higher Ground as my stereo separation test, and the Aeneid passes with flying colours. When Chris (panned left) was soloing, the right side of the stage would feel absolutely empty, then vice versa with Dave's parts (panned right). Instruments, though not traditionally separated by the clean lines the treble would typically provide, still come off separated because of how far apart they are from each other, again courtesy of that massive stage.
Comparing it briefly against the Iliad, the Aeneid is the warmer, more relaxed-sounding one of the two. It doesn't have the Iliad's upper-midrange zing, and its lower-treble is considerably smoother as well. But, at the same time, it's the stronger cable technically. Again, its imaging is noticeably more precise. It doesn't have that slight
crossfeed effect I described on my Iliad review. On the aforementioned drum duet, with the Iliad, Chris's drums would bleed
ever-so-slightly to the centre and right sides of the image, and Dave's would also leak a hair to the centre and the left sides of the image. But, that isn't the case with the Aeneid. And, the new flagship has the larger, better-separated stage as well.
For me, whether or not the Aeneid is an upgrade over the Iliad will ultimately depend on preference. If you prefer a brighter, more vibrant sound and you like that cohesive, flowing musicality that the
crossfeed effect brings, then the Iliad would probably be the better fit. But, if you tend to want a more relaxed, uncoloured, blasé sort of sound with a bit less intimacy, a bit less attack and incredible, out-of-head imaging, then the Aeneid's the one.
Gorgeous!!!
