[Luciferhawk]

  well , looks like i will be joining the EE gang very soon , after some great (and very helpful) chat with @Jack Vang i am ready to buy a custom Athena

like everyone in here, i wanted to try zeus but these are still too much for my limited budget , so i decided to get the (supposedly midcentric) athena , to have something to complement my (reference sounding) NT6

zeus is probably the best ciem around atm , so maybe i need to enjoy the journey a bit more before reaching my sonic Ithaca (i am sure that Odysseus would dig all these Greek-named ciems by EE)

now i just need to settle down on what shell colors i want, visit my audiologist on Tuesday and then we can start the torturous waiting game 

 
again , kudos to Jack for being so helpful and courteous 

 

Congratulations 

 looking forward to read your impression on your units when it has arrived

 

[Jack Vang]

We've been working with a master wood craftsman from Japan to see how we could improve upon our wood finishes and I think we nailed it. What do you guys think? 
 

 
(Ignore the ADEL-module-removal-ready fingernails)

 

[SincerelyAural]

The finish and colour are absolutely exquisite. Looking good, Jack

 

[Soar]

This says that Zeus r after the addition of ADEL module size will be reduced by 20%?

 

[Jack Vang]

This says that Zeus r after the addition of ADEL module size will be reduced by 20%?

 
From the current prototype, which was rather large. It should be fairly close if not a bit smaller than the non-ADEL Zeus housing.

 

[Luciferhawk]

  We've been working with a master wood craftsman from Japan to see how we could improve upon our wood finishes and I think we nailed it. What do you guys think? 
 

 
(Ignore the ADEL-module-removal-ready fingernails)

 
A gem in the making

 

[fiascogarcia]

  We've been working with a master wood craftsman from Japan to see how we could improve upon our wood finishes and I think we nailed it. What do you guys think? 
 
(Ignore the ADEL-module-removal-ready fingernails)

Lustrous and beautiful.  And the particular color you're showing is rich and classic!

 

[FenW]

I could have had auditioned with a badly sealed unit (tried it at DMA in Mong Kok, HKG) and they don't do universal MTO.

...(shortened)

AFAIK or at least according to the Crystal Sound FB page only the MK branch has EE for demo... Really hoping some universals will come in at some point

We've been working with a master wood craftsman from Japan to see how we could improve upon our wood finishes and I think we nailed it. What do you guys think?

Shiny... @w@

 

[cho8]

We've been working with a master wood craftsman from Japan to see how we could improve upon our wood finishes and I think we nailed it. What do you guys think? 




(Ignore the ADEL-module-removal-ready fingernails)

Looks like jade! That's crazy. Good to hear you guys learning from the best of individual disciplines to enhance your overall product

 

[proedros]

  My hybrid cable fits my Athena, and is a huge sonic improvement over the stock cable.

 
that's good to hear , i have 2 hybrid cables (whiplash hybrid v3 and forza hybrid) so i guess they will fit my athena just fine
 
ps : HUGE kudos to @Jack Vang  , words can not say how much i appreciate his help on me getting a set of athena 

 

 

[NaiveSound]

I love the BTG cable, but what are some other cables (affordable, realistic price) cables that truly add performance and minimize microphonics?

 

[flinkenick]

My current favorite cable for Zeus XIV is the Rhapsodio OCC 8-braid and it's one of the most affordable I have. Natural sound, but adds some really nice sparkle to instruments.

 

[boblauer]

I love the BTG cable, but what are some other cables (affordable, realistic price) cables that truly add performance and minimize microphonics?

I use a Impact Audio SPC cable on my Spartan. You can find him on Etsy searching by that name. Lindsay is very affordable and does good work. It's at home but I'll try and snap a pick tonight and attach it here later.  
Below is a pic of the cable, snapped quickly running out the door so if anyone wants a close up or one particular part let me know. Same cable that's in my avatar. 

 

[NaiveSound]

I use a Impact Audio SPC cable on my Spartan. You can find him on Etsy searching by that name. Lindsay is very affordable and does good work. It's at home but I'll try and snap a pick tonight and attach it here later.  

Please do, and how does it affect sound?

 

[boblauer]

Noticeably brighter, mind the Spartan is very neutral so was trying to guide it in a direction that I like which is mid centric but with a touch of brightness in the upper ranges. I have several of Impact Audio's cables so I knew exactly what I wanted. Lindsay is very easy to work with to get the right build.