[rwelles]

They both go in your ears.

I'm going to be smirking and chuckling the rest of the day, remembering this answer!

With the 8-wire and your Zeus you should be good to go.

I keep hearing about the 8-wire for the Zeus. How does it affect the sound?

 

[olddude]

It keeps it the same but opens up the soundstage a bit, in the sense that you can hear more stuff happening across it as there is more "room" for the music to stretch out and not be covered by other music. There is a slight bit of apparent bass and treble increase, but it could just be a factor of the stretching out. You get more without changing the sound which, with the Zeus/Ares ll, is already excellent. Keep in mind that your source will have some effect on the forgoing. For the price, it just makes sense to go for it.

Keep an eye on the EE page, they may be announcing a sale at any moment.

 

[KuroKitsu]

I keep hearing about the 8-wire for the Zeus. How does it affect the sound?

Opens up the soundstage and it gives Zeus a bit more body in terms of bass and treble.

One thing about the Zeus was that I felt that sub-bass was a bit lacking as opposed to the Phantom's too much, the Aries II 8 does a moderate job of bumping that up. Lionheart 4 also opens up the sub-bass but it also muddies the midrange a little bit which I liked not as much. If you still find that combination lacking, you could always try the PS Tri-Copper (I only have the Exo variant no idea on X8), it brings on the even body that the Aries II 8 does, doesn't move up the vocals as much and doesn't muddy the midrange as much as Lionheart and offers excellent sub-bass and treble extension.


In other things, with Black Friday around the corner:

If Charles matches Empire's sale, I'll probably be getting Phantom and a Leo II down the line.

In the case that he doesn't, I'm planning to send my Tri-Copper into PS for repair, but planning to grab something on MusicTek as well, question being which of the 3 should I grab:

Janus D (For Zeus)
Horus (Just because I can and also it's most likely wayyyy different from the GPS with Zeus)
Leo II (In prep for Phantom).

 

[Deezel177]

Υes

btw , there is not yet a cable that can do all these 3 things simultaneously you asked , usually a cable tweaks the sound slightly while focusing on one of the 3 sonic areas

so yeap , you just described Zeus XR

speaking of Zeus , Ares II (8 wire) pairs very nicely with it , definitey happy with it

the only problem is that my cable appetite has come back with a vengeance

On the contrary, fixing all three problems at once is relatively easy if a minor tweak via cables is all you need. A decrease in bass will automatically lead to greater perceived treble and vice-versa, so all you need is a cable to do one and it'll automatically do the other as well. The midrange tweak simply requires a cable with a neutral lower-midrange, which silver cables tend to do along with the aforementioned bass decrease/treble increase (sorry @KuroKitsu, the only silver cable I've ever heard that increases bass is the Effect Audio Thor Silver II, so I don't necessarily agree with your consensus there). Off the top of my head, cables like Effect Audio's Leonidas II (though that has a slightly thicker lower-midrange), DHC's Symbiote SP Type 3, PlusSound's Silver + Gold and PWAudio's Loki would complete all three tasks to varying effectiveness and flavour. But of course, if the changes required are more major, then the IEM is the one that needs swapping.

Does Zeus XR have anything in common with 64 audio A18t?.

Based off of memory, probably simply by tone and staging. Both are neutral in tone with a wide, open stage, but how they present the bass and midrange are quite significantly different. The treble has some similarity in crispness and - again - tone. The A18t's Tia driver delivers more air, clarity and detail, but that's about it.

Thanks to all for this valuable feedback!! In my (limited) experience, cable rolling will only produce minor changes/improvements. The changes I'm looking for over the Phantoms are more significant. My wallet has been whimpering while I write this, but my ears are salivating!! (Yeah, I know it's a weird mixed metaphor...)

If your needs for technical performance are less demanding (i.e. a pixel-perfect stage and ultra-top-notch background blackness aren't as important to you as clarity, tonal balance, etc.), the 64Audio A6t makes for a less costly alternative as a brighter, clearer, less heavy Phantom.

 

[KuroKitsu]

@Deezel177
Insightful impressions as always Daniel.

My experience with silver cables has been a handful of pure silver (Thor II among them) and so far Plussound's GPS. The former just increased the bass and the latter gave it too much impact (Though that oddly makes it just right on the Spartan).

You did mention that you found the Leo II to be a perfect match to cool the Phantom down and tame the bass (Interesting premise, palladium does weird things). Of the other 3 that you listed, how do they hold up to Leo II?

A side thought: Leo II in Zeus?

 

[Deezel177]

@Deezel177
Insightful impressions as always Daniel.

My experience with silver cables has been a handful of pure silver (Thor II among them) and so far Plussound's GPS. The former just increased the bass and the latter gave it too much impact (Though that oddly makes it just right on the Spartan).

You did mention that you found the Leo II to be a perfect match to cool the Phantom down and tame the bass (Interesting premise, palladium does weird things). Of the other 3 that you listed, how do they hold up to Leo II?

A side thought: Leo II in Zeus?

I think the Leo II is the more unique one of the bunch, 'cus the other three veer into more stereotypical clear, crisp, clean signatures: Controlled bass, neutral lower-mids and articulate treble. The Leo II does the first and last two, but it has a thicker lower-midrange. So, what you'd hear is a more open, neutral tone with sparklier transients, but the midrange is rather thick, meaty and organic-sounding while being well-layered at the same time. This is the palladium's effect I think, 'cus I observed similar phenomena with the Janus D. Simply by memory, the Leo II performs better technically as well in terms of layering, stage construction, bass physicality, etc. I'd say the PWAudio, DHC and PlusSound offerings are best if you want to maximise absolute clarity and definition, while the Leo II is excellent if you want a clearer, more open sound, but keep midrange structure intact, so vocal-focused songs don't lose their emotional resonance and impact. Of course, the Leo II's added technical aplomb doesn't hurt too.

Unless you want the Zeus to be more articulate than it already is, the Leo II isn't a natural pairing. I've always subscribed to the idea of either warming up the Zeus's treble for a more emotional, enveloping timbre or attenuating its lower-mids to double-down on its clarity and cleanliness. The Leo II does neither, so I personally wouldn't put the two together.

 

[timorinolee]

Since we're in the topic of cables, looking for a replacement cable for my Hermes.

Looking out for something that can increase the sub-bass extension, mid-bass impact/slam, and treble extension.

Currently only have budget for either a Exo Tri-Copper, T-metal or X8 Copper or Silver Plated Copper.

Looking at Ares 8 too.

Anyone got any idea what works best?

 

[aaf evo]

If anyone is looking for 8 wire cables I can’t recommend PW Audio cables enough. For me, the ergonomics are much better than Effect Audio as far as 8 wires go. The PW Audio ones are much softer.

 

[MrLocoLuciano]

After searching for a long time the ideal cable for my Zeus XIV, I finally found my graal.

It's a french brand that is going to launch officially their products 1st of december called "One And Only".
The reference of the cable is "Gold Twelve".
It's a gold plated copper.

It's as technical as the Brimar Supreme Reference, more balanced (not as bright) and with an even widder stage. It adds some smoothness to the tones, air between instruments and has this legato I loved so much with the PW1960 or Hansound Redcore.
Definetely a cable playing in the top league, with 1960, Janus or Horus !
I can only encourage you to keep an eye on this brand.

 

[davidmolliere]

I had an opportunity to listen to the Gold Twelve as well, and it looks quite promising indeed, I'd need more time with it!

A crappy shot but...

 

[Devon Higgins]

...psssst.....

We are having a Head-Fi exclusive Pre-Black Friday sale starting..... now. PM me for details!

 

[KuroKitsu]

Since we're in the topic of cables, looking for a replacement cable for my Hermes.

Looking out for something that can increase the sub-bass extension, mid-bass impact/slam, and treble extension.

Currently only have budget for either a Exo Tri-Copper, T-metal or X8 Copper or Silver Plated Copper.

Looking at Ares 8 too.

Anyone got any idea what works best?

Tri-Copper gives the extension but not the mid-bass slam.
Ariea 8 I wouldnt classify as any of the three specifically.

Can't comment on Exo T Metal or X8 Copper.

I do recommend the Exo GPS as bringing all three things and around a 50 bucks diff from Tri-Copper

@davidmolliere I guess they figured out that Wonder Woman's lasso of truth made for good sonics

@Devon Higgins tell us more Bigger discounts than Black Friday? Sadly funds don't free up the 26th on my part. Might be missing the goodness this year

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Don't tell @Devon Higgins I said anything, she made my day today but I have to be vague about it

EDIT: Nevermind, it's announced now! About to pull the trigger on my first CIEM with the discount, the Spartan IV that I've ever so fallen in love with!

 

[timorinolee]

Tri-Copper gives the extension but not the mid-bass slam.
Ariea 8 I wouldnt classify as any of the three specifically.

Can't comment on Exo T Metal or X8 Copper.

I do recommend the Exo GPS as bringing all three things and around a 50 bucks diff from Tri-Copper

@davidmolliere I guess they figured out that Wonder Woman's lasso of truth made for good sonics

@Devon Higgins tell us more Bigger discounts than Black Friday? Sadly funds don't free up the 26th on my part. Might be missing the goodness this year

Thanks for the recommendation! I am a little concerned with GPS, afraid that it might my treble too sibliant, I've got issues with sensitive treble.

 

[KuroKitsu]

Thanks for the recommendation! I am a little concerned with GPS, afraid that it might my treble too sibliant, I've got issues with sensitive treble.

You might want to go to the Plussound thread and chat with them about, they might have a solution for you. I didnt otice any sibilance with the GPS, but thats just my ears