Because of how uncommon demo cables with 4-pin connectors are, I never really did. The only time I cable-rolled with Layla was with a Brise Audio cable. I believe it was the Ref16 or something like that. I found it impressive in bass texturing and lower-treble control. It brought the 7kHz peak down such that it was more cohered against the upper-mid dip - that’s not to say the 7kHz peak is hot in any way; the upper-mids are just relatively more withdrawn. But, that simply could’ve been the difference between my WM1A’s single-ended and balanced outputs (because my Layla’s stock cable is SE, while the Brise cable was BAL). I’ll definitely be cable-rolling with the Layla’s more in the coming year.
The Layla’s more transparent in tone to me, while the Zeus is brighter and crisper in an effort to push more detail. But, I do agree that the Layla will be more fitting to those who love the Phantom, rather than the Zeus. As
@Mimouille mentioned, there is a difference in the midrange. The Phantom has a fuller, more vibrant 2-3kHz range. But, the overall tone and treble response between the two is quite similar - the Layla may have the edge in extension.
Improved bass, not
more bass. The Layla’s low-end is a touch cleaner and more defined no matter the setting, in my opinion. The Phantom’s remains one of the most engaging and musical (yet technically-capable) I’ve heard, though. Speaking of, remember thay you can tune the Layla’s bass from
neutral all the way to
basshead, so quantity should never be a problem.