Got the Han Sound Cable tour w/ me this week... these are fantastic cables, I think they're a relatively new builder and not too many people have their cables but hopefully they become more popular. This one is the Aurora.. my favorite of their lineup.
These gorgeous cable photos make Monday that much more tolerable.
Time to post another of my own. I posted a few days ago about this one I had incoming, but it's now in-hand and pairing beautiful with my UM Mason II. It's the Triton8 OCC hybrid version, with a special braid:
Thanks again to Triton Audio Cables for this beautiful cable that is rather cost-effective in comparison to a lot of others, while offering great sound quality of course. My journey of full migration to 4.4mm is almost complete...so close I can taste it!
If I was you I wouldn't taste any wires, it not tasty at all, yes I do agree with you on David, he make a very good cables, prices and turnaround is top knot
These gorgeous cable photos make Monday that much more tolerable.
Time to post another of my own. I posted a few days ago about this one I had incoming, but it's now in-hand and pairing beautiful with my UM Mason II. It's the Triton8 OCC hybrid version, with a special braid:
Thanks again to Triton Audio Cables for this beautiful cable that is rather cost-effective in comparison to a lot of others, while offering great sound quality of course. My journey of full migration to 4.4mm is almost complete...so close I can taste it!
Sorry, it has been a while and I only spent a short time with omni king at Can Jam with different iem. I was more interested with Ultimate. I bought 1 Omni King and 2 Ultimate last month and they will arrive next week.
Here is a review for Brimar Kaiser with A18t in case if you are interested: http://audio-ph.ru/reviews/obzor-kabelya-brimar-kaiser-vosmizhilnyi-provodnik-v-ligu-hi-end
Are you still looking for an adapter from 2pin to JH connector? I saw your post somewhere and I saw that adapter later. That adapter can be handy to test 2pin cables.
Was chatting with @flinkenick comparing the new Rhapsodio cables and thought I would share my thoughts here (RSD Silver mk3, SG 2.98 mk2 and EA Leonidas/Thor bespoke). I used them on my S-EM9 because I find the subtle cable differences somewhat easy to depict with these IEMs:
SG 2.98 compared to RSD Silver mk3: Immediately noticeable is the warmer mid-bass on the SG 2.98, which gives the S-EM9 a much more musical sound. As Nic has mentioned in the past, the S-EM9 with a traditional silver cable is very technically clean, great for electronic music, but I'm going to mirror those thoughts here and say the SG 2.98 is great for more of a band-based type of music, in my case some country pop stuff (embarrassing as it is, 'Merica). The treble is a bit more relaxed on the SG 2.98 for me, which means this won't be my favorite pairing as I am absolutely addicted to the treble sparkle of the S-EM9. For mids, I find them surprisingly close other than the lower mids a tad warmer on the SG 2.98, probably inherited from the mid-bass. Sub-bass has a bit more control on the RSD Silver mk3, although quantity seems ever so slightly enhanced on the SG 2.98 which I like. Ergonomics are the same, overall I think either is a great choice just depending on whether someone is wanting the clean, traditional silver sound or something a bit more lush and organic, for lack of a better word. The SG 2.98 is still lively, however, perhaps more forward sounding than the mk1 version. Despite having gold in the mix, it still manages to sound like a silver cable for the most part, just with a bit of added magic.
SG 2.98 compared to Leo (mine is the Leo/Thor bespoke): Sub-bass on the Leo is a little more impactful, slightly more controlled, but it's missing that mid-bass magic of the SG 2.98. These two are closer than I thought they would be in overall sound signature, though. On the S-EM9, they both provide (for me) a perfect balance between technicality and musicality. It's hard to say which is better, in fact it's impossible to say which is better, it would be up to the user on which way they wanted to nudge the sound of the S-EM9 or any other IEM. Mids are both very clean and ever so slightly warm on both, while treble sparkle is a bit dryer on the Leo (although extension in my limited testing sounds similar, possibly slightly extending further on the Leo). They both sound great and I'd be really happy to have either permanently. Overall I would say Leo is a bit more of an all-rounder, while SG 2.98 gives that magic touch that can really shine with some IEMs.
Perhaps also worth mentioning is that the two Rhapsodio cables were re-terminated to Pentaconn 4.4mm connectors and the Leo re-terminated to a Furutech, all using Mundorf supreme solder...for you plug believers out there
There seems to be a lot of differing theories on shielding. Some cable makers claim that it is unnecessary with proper conductor geometry and only adds to capacitance. Others seem to believe that it has definite audio benefits. Most cables today forego it, but it gets included in some top tier cables like DHC Prion and HSA Venom. The latest balanced connector 4.4 TRRRS is able to isolate the ground from shielding which is nice.
Can someone give some insight into whether shielding should play a significant role in choosing a cable in relation to "average" EMI/RF, let's say living near but not in a city. Of course, at the end of the day, it is about the sound and not the design, but it helps to have reliable information to judge online claims.
Spending about an hour with Janus D was one of my highlights at last weekend's canjam. I think i've probably found the perfect partner for my a18s. Price-wise its in the ball park with the 1960s but i'm not sure where in the UK i'm going to get to hear it. Has anyone heard both? and if so could i trouble you for a comparison?
So I'm just gonna share some thoughts on a bunch of cables that have been discussed such as the HSA Venom and Aurora, RSD 2.98, and EA bespoke 8-wire cables I recently listened to.
To answer the previous question, I do believe in shielding from my previous experience with several cables. For starters, both the Rhapsodio Wizard Copper and HanSound Venom use a very thick multi-layer shield (might even be the same one, at least very similar). Both cables offer a high resolution and exceptionally black background, that gives them a darker type of sound. So despite their different wire material (high grade copper vs. silver/gold alloy), there are recognisable features between the two. Furthermore, cables like the PW Audio 1960's and Silverfi cables use a slimmer type of shielding. Both have a particularly black background, although the SilverFi's don't have a classic dark 'black' background, but a lighter stage with a technically black background in terms of stability of the background blackness.
However, the difficult thing with cables is that there are so many factors which determine the performance and signature, and shielding is just one. Other factors are the quality and material of the wire, the geometry, number of wires, and components like solder and plug. So yes, shielding can improve performance, but the total picture needs to be taken into account. In the end specs and especially marketing statements will only say so much, and personal or second hand impressions will be of more value. About the 4.4 plug, it is indeed able to isolate the ground from shielding, but this needs to be inherent in the design. The Sony WM1A/WM1Z don't have this incorporated in the design, so it needs to be manually modded.
HanSound Audio Venom & Aurora
When it comes to signature, the Venom has a somewhat unique signature for a silver alloy cable, as it provides a warm and smooth signature. The bass is not particularly enhanced, but the warmth in the tone stems from a laid-back upper treble. As a result, it is not a 'sparkly' cable per se, especially compared to top tier cables as Horus and 1960 4-Wire. Even so, it provides a high resolution with an especially spacious stage, despite its warmer tone. Due to a similar upper treble approach, it will not alter the signature of the Phantom significantly for instance by increasing the clarity, although it will improve its performance. The Venom shares similar traits to the EA Janus, with both offering a slightly warm tone, and higher resolution with soundstage expansion. The HanSound Aurora has a more classic silver sound, with a greater emphasis on increasing clarity. Even so, there is a melodious ring in its upper mids, which gives it a lively rather than sterile sound. In addition, it improves the clarity of the impact of the bass, so it is a rather fun sound. However, I was not particularly impressed with its top-end extension at the time, and accordingly, its resolution and staging. However, they have since made some adaptation, so the version I heard was outdated. I have sent it back to be updated.
Rhapsodio 2.98
One cable that I have recently been enjoying is the Rhapsodio 2.98 (v2), which Collin just introduced. The original 2.98 had a very unique signature, with its 2% gold resulting in an unusually warm and midforward signature for a silver cable, with a somewhat narrow soundstage. There was perhaps a bit of a 'muddiness' in the sound, contrasting the cleaner and spacious signature one would normally expect from a silver cable. It was however an excellent cable to add more body to iems which have a distant or lean midrange, such as the Solar and S-EM9. The new 2.98 has a more prototypical silver signature, providing a clear and open sound, albeit it with a punchy and relatively natural mid-bass. It combines a very lightly warm midrange with a slightly brighter and aggressive lower treble, which seems to result in beautifully melodious upper mids. For reference, it is a similar type of sound as Aurora, although I'd say the 298's mid-bass is a bit more organic in tone, and the Aurora's more impactful. The 2.98 is a bit brighter than the EA Thor II and Leonidas for instance, although its upper mids are also a bit more stimulating. Altogether, the 2.98 provides a clear but fun sound, with good performance.
Effect Audio Bespoke 8-wire cables
Moving on to the Effect 8-wire bespoke cables, which I all tested with the Phantom. Starting with the Ares II 8-wire, which has received a lot of attention recently. The Ares II maintains a similar tone, but expands the stage a bit further. In addition, its vocals seemed to improve in power, sounding more convincing. The performance and resolution and transparency might have remained on a roughly similar level. Overall, I think the pairing was good, but it was not what I seeked in terms of improvement. The problem is that both my SP1000 Cu and Phantom have a rather relaxed upper treble, so the Phantom tends to mostly benefit from brighter cables that lift the upper treble. I think I would have enjoyed the full reach of its scalability with my modded WM1Z for instance.
The Eros II 8-wire was a very pleasing combination, that improved its signature to a more neutral/natural sound. I listened to it after Thor II, so there was a slight drop in transparency compared to a pure silver. However, I preferred the tonality of this pairing. For lack of a better word, there's more of a natural 'copper' tone mixed in, without the warmth dominating the sound, while it similarly improves the clarity, without artificially brightening the tone. Silvers as Thor and Leo have a type of 'uncolored' sound which can equally be interesting, but simultaneously don't seem to exactly fit my preconception of natural. The improvement in performance might not be super large, but neither is the shift in signature - in a good way. The airiness of the stage improved, along with its separation, while the imaging became a bit more precise. The clarity improved, while maintaining the timbre.
The Lionheart 8-wire has a slightly prominent mid-bass, with a slower decay. Most noticeably, this adds a thickness to the note, and a slight veil over the vocals. Even so, its tone is relatively neutral, even though the treble is not enhanced. It's smooth, though not particularly warm. However, while it wasn't bright per se, there was a dryness in its tone; I preferred the tone of Eros II for instance. In addition, its performance was better than the Ares II 8-wire, but not at the level of the silver alloy cables. This was perhaps mostly because the separation tended to suffer from the mid-bass presentation. Altogether, I was not particularly impressed by the pairing with the Phantom, maybe my least favourite.
The Thor II 8-Wire has a silver tone that is similar to Leonidas; a clear sound with a smooth, refined treble. It offers great balance throughout the spectrum, while offering a significant improvement in resolution. The Phantom shakes off a bit of its warmth, but retains a relaxed, natural feel. By comparison, it is a bit smoother than the 2.98 and its stage perhaps more spacious. It is also a bit warmer, with the 2.98's brighter upper mids in turn offering a bit more sparkle. As the bass has sufficient power but is not dominating in the sound, the stage is slightly cleaner than Leonidas 4-wire, which offers an impressive impact, but can affect the separation. Altogether, the Thor II provides a cleaner and more resolved sound, while remaining particularly smooth. The Leonidas 8-wire in turn has a similar tone as Thor, as both are slightly warm silvers, that offer high resolution and increased detail, presented in a relatively smooth manner. There is a slight increase in performance between the two, such as a greater sense of depth, and accordingly, more holographic feel of Leonidas. In addition, Leonidas' bass seemed a bit more impactful. I would need more time than I had to delve into their differences.
Crystal Cable Duet
I recently discussed the Duet, but need to make an addendum. The manufacturer had twisted the memory wire of one side in a different direction as the other, so the cable was out of phase when I tested it, and must shamefully admit I didn't notice it, although the sound seemed a bit off. The resolution and transparency of the cable was good, but their was a certain dryness in the sound that kept me from appreciating it, as well as a closed in sound. In phase, the extension and impact of the bass increases, while providing a lightly warm tone to the midrange. It's a different type of timbre than the aforementioned Leonidas and Thor II, providing more of a clear sound with a touch of warmth, where the EA cables have an even smoother tonality. At the same time, the 2.98 in turn is a touch brighter than the Duet. In addition, the Duet now offers an open, more contemporary-sized stage. Taken together, it offers good performance and a nice tone, and makes for a solid allrounder.
So I'm just gonna share some thoughts on a bunch of cables that have been discussed such as the HSA Venom and Aurora, RSD 2.98, and EA bespoke 8-wire cables I recently listened to.
To answer the previous question, I do believe in shielding from my previous experience with several cables. For starters, both the Rhapsodio Wizard Copper and HanSound Venom use a very thick multi-layer shield (might even be the same one, at least very similar). Both cables offer a high resolution and exceptionally black background, that gives them a darker type of sound. So despite their different wire material (high grade copper vs. silver/gold alloy), there are recognisable features between the two. Furthermore, cables like the PW Audio 1960's and Silverfi cables use a slimmer type of shielding. Both have a particularly black background, although the SilverFi's don't have a classic dark 'black' background, but a lighter stage with a technically black background in terms of stability of the background blackness.
However, the difficult thing with cables is that there are so many factors which determine the performance and signature, and shielding is just one. Other factors are the quality and material of the wire, the geometry, number of wires, and components like solder and plug. So yes, shielding can improve performance, but the total picture needs to be taken into account. In the end specs and especially marketing statements will only say so much, and personal or second hand impressions will be of more value. About the 4.4 plug, it is indeed able to isolate the ground from shielding, but this needs to be inherent in the design. The Sony WM1A/WM1Z don't have this incorporated in the design, so it needs to be manually modded.
HanSound Audio Venom & Aurora
When it comes to signature, the Venom has a somewhat unique signature for a silver alloy cable, as it provides a warm and smooth signature. The bass is not particularly enhanced, but the warmth in the tone stems from a laid-back upper treble. As a result, it is not a 'sparkly' cable per se, especially compared to top tier cables as Horus and 1960 4-Wire. Even so, it provides a high resolution with an especially spacious stage, despite its warmer tone. Due to a similar upper treble approach, it will not alter the signature of the Phantom significantly for instance by increasing the clarity, although it will improve its performance. The Venom shares similar traits to the EA Janus, with both offering a slightly warm tone, and higher resolution with soundstage expansion. The HanSound Aurora has a more classic silver sound, with a greater emphasis on increasing clarity. Even so, there is a melodious ring in its upper mids, which gives it a lively rather than sterile sound. In addition, it improves the clarity of the impact of the bass, so it is a rather fun sound. However, I was not particularly impressed with its top-end extension at the time, and accordingly, its resolution and staging. However, they have since made some adaptation, so the version I heard was outdated. I have sent it back to be updated.
Rhapsodio 2.98
One cable that I have recently been enjoying is the Rhapsodio 2.98 (v2), which Collin just introduced. The original 2.98 had a very unique signature, with its 2% gold resulting in an unusually warm and midforward signature for a silver cable, with a somewhat narrow soundstage. There was perhaps a bit of a 'muddiness' in the sound, contrasting the cleaner and spacious signature one would normally expect from a silver cable. It was however an excellent cable to add more body to iems which have a distant or lean midrange, such as the Solar and S-EM9. The new 2.98 has a more prototypical silver signature, providing a clear and open sound, albeit it with a punchy and relatively natural mid-bass. It combines a very lightly warm midrange with a slightly brighter and aggressive lower treble, which seems to result in beautifully melodious upper mids. For reference, it is a similar type of sound as Aurora, although I'd say the 298's mid-bass is a bit more organic in tone, and the Aurora's more impactful. The 2.98 is a bit brighter than the EA Thor II and Leonidas for instance, although its upper mids are also a bit more stimulating. Altogether, the 2.98 provides a clear but fun sound, with good performance.
Effect Audio Bespoke 8-wire cables
Moving on to the Effect 8-wire bespoke cables, which I all tested with the Phantom. Starting with the Ares II 8-wire, which has received a lot of attention recently. The Ares II maintains a similar tone, but expands the stage a bit further. In addition, its vocals seemed to improve in power, sounding more convincing. The performance and resolution and transparency might have remained on a roughly similar level. Overall, I think the pairing was good, but it was not what I seeked in terms of improvement. The problem is that both my SP1000 Cu and Phantom have a rather relaxed upper treble, so the Phantom tends to mostly benefit from brighter cables that lift the upper treble. I think I would have enjoyed the full reach of its scalability with my modded WM1Z for instance.
The Eros II 8-wire was a very pleasing combination, that improved its signature to a more neutral/natural sound. I listened to it after Thor II, so there was a slight drop in transparency compared to a pure silver. However, I preferred the tonality of this pairing. For lack of a better word, there's more of a natural 'copper' tone mixed in, without the warmth dominating the sound, while it similarly improves the clarity, without artificially brightening the tone. Silvers as Thor and Leo have a type of 'uncolored' sound which can equally be interesting, but simultaneously don't seem to exactly fit my preconception of natural. The improvement in performance might not be super large, but neither is the shift in signature - in a good way. The airiness of the stage improved, along with its separation, while the imaging became a bit more precise. The clarity improved, while maintaining the timbre.
The Lionheart 8-wire has a slightly prominent mid-bass, with a slower decay. Most noticeably, this adds a thickness to the note, and a slight veil over the vocals. Even so, its tone is relatively neutral, even though the treble is not enhanced. It's smooth, though not particularly warm. However, while it wasn't bright per se, there was a dryness in its tone; I preferred the tone of Eros II for instance. In addition, its performance was better than the Ares II 8-wire, but not at the level of the silver alloy cables. This was perhaps mostly because the separation tended to suffer from the mid-bass presentation. Altogether, I was not particularly impressed by the pairing with the Phantom, maybe my least favourite.
The Thor II 8-Wire has a silver tone that is similar to Leonidas; a clear sound with a smooth, refined treble. It offers great balance throughout the spectrum, while offering a significant improvement in resolution. The Phantom shakes off a bit of its warmth, but retains a relaxed, natural feel. By comparison, it is a bit smoother than the 2.98 and its stage perhaps more spacious. It is also a bit warmer, with the 2.98's brighter upper mids in turn offering a bit more sparkle. As the bass has sufficient power but is not dominating in the sound, the stage is slightly cleaner than Leonidas 4-wire, which offers an impressive impact, but can affect the separation. Altogether, the Thor II provides a cleaner and more resolved sound, while remaining particularly smooth. The Leonidas 8-wire in turn has a similar tone as Thor, as both are slightly warm silvers, that offer high resolution and increased detail, presented in a relatively smooth manner. There is a slight increase in performance between the two, such as a greater sense of depth, and accordingly, more holographic feel of Leonidas. In addition, Leonidas' bass seemed a bit more impactful. I would need more time than I had to delve into their differences.
Crystal Cable Duet
I recently discussed the Duet, but need to make an addendum. The manufacturer had twisted the memory wire of one side in a different direction as the other, so the cable was out of phase when I tested it, and must shamefully admit I didn't notice it, although the sound seemed a bit off. The resolution and transparency of the cable was good, but their was a certain dryness in the sound that kept me from appreciating it, as well as a closed in sound. In phase, the extension and impact of the bass increases, while providing a lightly warm tone to the midrange. It's a different type of timbre than the aforementioned Leonidas and Thor II, providing more of a clear sound with a touch of warmth, where the EA cables have an even smoother tonality. At the same time, the 2.98 in turn is a touch brighter than the Duet. In addition, the Duet now offers an open, more contemporary-sized stage. Taken together, it offers good performance and a nice tone, and makes for a solid allrounder.
Excellent impressions as always, man! Ever since moving the 8-wire Ares II to the A6t's to warm them up a little (especially in the upper-treble), I've gone back to pairing the Phantom with my 4-wire Thor II and the combo is as sublime as ever. Like you said, it's a clear tone with smoothness and refinement, but zero harshness or brightness. It sounds like the mid-bass quickens in decay and then a slight-but-wide lift occurs past 7kHz, which - as you said - clears up the stage and shakes off some of the warm air. It's probably my favourite pairing in terms of versatility and refinement (even though the tone of the 8-wire Ares II still has my vote honestly), and something people like @Wyville should definitely try some time.
Excellent impressions as always, man! Ever since moving the 8-wire Ares II to the A6t's to warm them up a little (especially in the upper-treble), I've gone back to pairing the Phantom with my 4-wire Thor II and the combo is as sublime as ever. Like you said, it's a clear tone with smoothness and refinement, but zero harshness or brightness. It sounds like the mid-bass quickens in decay and then a slight-but-wide lift occurs past 7kHz, which - as you said - clears up the stage and shakes off some of the warm air. It's probably my favourite pairing in terms of versatility and refinement (even though the tone of the 8-wire Ares II still has my vote honestly), and something people like @Wyville should definitely try some time.
About the 4.4 plug, it is indeed able to isolate the ground from shielding, but this needs to be inherent in the design. The Sony WM1A/WM1Z don't have this incorporated in the design, so it needs to be manually modded.
It's strange that after going through the trouble adding another ring (TRRRS) that Sony doesn't end up using the isolated ground. My cable has shielding that goes to the separate ground sleeve, if my DAP, like the WM1A/Z, hasn't incorporated that into their design is all that shielding useless?
It's strange that after going through the trouble adding another ring (TRRRS) that Sony doesn't end up using the isolated ground. My cable has shielding that goes to the separate ground sleeve, if my DAP, like the WM1A/Z, hasn't incorporated that into their design is all that shielding useless?
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, yes I do agree with you on David, he make a very good cables, prices and turnaround is top knot
