[thedanadamsusa]

I have posted something along the lines of this post on the Effect Audio forum; as the cables I'm considering are all by that particular manufacturer. I thought it would be helpful to offer some additional insight though, and run it by the gurus here, in the more generic cables thread. I'm looking for a cable that has good suitability/synergy with the Hermes VIs, and the Hiby R6 over a balanced connection. Ultimately I’ve read a fair amount of reviews for the three cables listed below and feel they would be well suited to my Hermes VIs - esp as Empire Ears are now using Effects Audio cables as standard on some of the newer models. I’m hoping someone here, may have had some experience of one, or some of these combinations and can impart some advice. Based on reviews and price, I have narrowed it down to the following cables;

• Ares II 8-wire
  
• Lionheart
  
• Thor II Silver

My objective with the balanced connection is to;

a) get the best out of the Hiby R6 - which really benefits from it.

b) get the best from the Empire Ears Hermes VIs - I'm using the stock cable which only offers a single ended connection right now.

I currently have some bass attenuation from the Hiby R6, which definitely feels like an impedance artifact - so an iEMatch seems like the obvious solution in this respect?

The one thing I’m absolutely not hoping to achieve, is ‘fixing’ the signature of my IEMs with a cable. The device I would employ in this regard is the iEMatch - I saw this as a suggestion in Twister’s review of the Hiby R6 on Head-Fi, and his use of it to remedy a similarly low impedance IEM like the Campfire Andromeda to deal with the R6s high 10 ohms output. I was expecting a similar result for the Hermes VI. The only role of the cable for me, was specifically to add a balanced connection, and also hopefully squeeze the most potential out of my IEMs and DAP, once the iEMatch was added into the equation. Any suggestions would be more than welcome; as I want achieve the most effective synergy across all the components of my rig.

Many Thanks,

Dan

 

[Kerouac]

OK, just some harmless and innocent (meant) wednesday afternoon cableporn picture post

So far these combinations work(ed) out great for me synergy wise...

Top left => EA x MS Eos + Phantom. Great synergy, but the Eos will probably be replaced by an Ares II 8-wire + PSsquare plug on that IEM in the near future.
Top mid => Toxic Silver Widow 22awg (still sad that Frank has passed away recently) + Spartan Adel. Ergonomics are maybe not the best, but the sq makes up for that imo.
Top right => Ares II 4-wire + Warbler Prelude. I tried the Eos on the Prelude, but to my own surprise (didn't expect that) I still preffered the (warmer) Ares II on that IEM.
Bottom left => PWaudio 1960 2-wire + Zeus XR. Simply the best match on the Zeus XR to my ears. Pure audioheaven from the RedWine modded AK380Cu!
Bottom mid => Norne Silvergarde S (thanks @SeeSax!) + Solar. I received this cable last Saturday and tried it on the Phantom for a while, but I slightly preffered the Eos synergy. Silvergarde sounds amazing on the good ol' Solar though!
Bottom right => Norne Silver 23awg prototype (which I had mainly on the Solar over the past months). I have this special (inbetween Therium and Silvergarde) cable for quite some time now. Ergonomics are surely better (thinner, more flexible) than the Silvergarde. But I still have to do some A-B test soon, to hear how they sound exactly, compared to each other.

Of course it's also nice to do some cable rolling from time to time, but I try to keep that to a limit, because I'm always afraid that the IEM sockets might get too loose over time, by switching too much

 

[SeeSax]

@Kerouac this entire time we've been chatting over PM, I was under the impression that you were NOT an IEM/cable hoarder to the same degree as me. I am clearly wrong, and I really should have looked at your signature sooner...amazing collection you have there! I draw the line right at about one IEM/cable pairing for every day of the week and it has served me well (as long as there remain 12 days in a week).

Hope you're enjoying the cable!

-Collin-

 

[audio123]

Anyone know anything about the (GPC) Penon GD849? I didn't realize they released new cables.

Edit: Now I see they have a pure silver cable up - Penon Leo. These must be brands new.

Hi, I have the GD849 & Leo as well as the Neo.
Some early impressions out of the box.
The GD849 is full and lush sounding which provides good intimacy.
The Neo is clinical sounding and it is able to add agility to the overall presentation.
The Leo is airy sounding with immense soundstage.
Hope this helps!

 

[Ike1985]

I had the opportunity to have some quiet time with the Han Sound Venom. Before the Venom my cable experience had been like most people; I heard slight changes in vocal positioning, slight alterations to the warmth or brightness of the sound and a miniscule change in the shimmer and crash of cymbals or the extension of a drum. With the Venom it was the first time I’ve been shocked with a cable. I expected to play through all my familiar test tracks subtlety listening for changes and making notes, I never made any notes. I just listened every free minute I had(which sadly isn’t much these days) and listened and listened some more. I had the cable for 7 days but due to work and life I only got to spend a few hours out of two or three days listening, while my son slept I was up until 2am losing sleep for work alone in the dark with the Venom, my laptop (wifi, Bluetooth disabled, etc, yea I do that), Hugo2 and A18t. Cue crying audiophile meme.

It’s odd because the impressions I came away with matched exactly like those found in the description for the Venom on the Music Sanctuary page(I had never even heard of the Venom much less read it's product description). I witnessed a completely black background, a blackness that you have to experience combined with eerily realistic vocals a massive stage and true high definition. If any of you have ever been on a cave tour at Mammoth Cave when the tour guides switch off the lights, the Venom gives me the same sense of nothing when I listen in the dark with my eyes closed. There’s a massive distance, a void from which the sounds appear as striking displays of life contrasted against the utter nothing but also every note carries with it aspects from whence it came; reverberations from the deep. Performances recorded in places with echoes and unique acoustic properties are stunning, every miniscule detail of the reverberation is brought forward in stunning resolution. The overall resolution is the best I’ve ever heard from any cable.

My setup was as follows: Source -> Hugo 2 -> Venom -> A18t. Both the A18t and the Hugo2 are top tier technical performers which is why I love their pairing so much, they complement each other beautifully. A18t is a top technical performer among IEMs, class leading layering and separation, very high resolution and a massive well segregated stage. Hugo2 has many of the same qualities. I never imagined that the premium 64 Audio SPC cable would be such a bottleneck, once removed the A18t revealed what it could really do. Dense lifelike hyper-detailed vocals I’ve only ever heard on Zeus XR suddenly came forth from a monitor with slightly airy vocals. They weren’t thrust unnaturally to the fore but instead were given a sort of eerie creepy realistic quality I’ve only heard from Zeus XR. The Venom is a shielded and grounded cable and the Zeus XR has internal shielding via coating on the drivers. My guess is that the eerily realistic vocals found on the Zeus XR are due to its’ black background(shielding) and this quality is now something my A18t’s possess when paired with the Venom. As far as positioning, the Venom brings the slightly recessed vocals on the A18t back into perfect alignment and imbues them with this liquid gold realism while maintaining a totally effortless and natural presentation.

Bass extension is deep with the Venom while treble extension is ever so slightly smoothed out but since I have the wonderful 64 Audio apex module system all I have to do to increase it is replace the M20 module with the M15 and voila I’ve got more than enough treble extension. I preferred the M20 with the Venom and Hugo2 90% of the time.

I told myself I was done with my portable Audio setup; H2, A18t but the Venom taught me otherwise. It’s impossible to go back to my stock 64 Audio premium SPC cable and not know what I’m missing now. I’ve decided to purchase a Venom and I will do a formal review when it arrives and we’ve had some sweet sweet time together, to hear the rest of my impressions you’ll have to wait until then. Forgive my ranting, it’s not something I normally do. There have only been a few occasions in my audio journey where I’ve felt the need to just let the words flow and this is one of them. Much more to come very soon., I've been poisoned with Venom.

 

[flinkenick]

Well, I can't think of a better introduction for my Venom review.

https://theheadphonelist.com/han-sound-audio-venom/

I have posted something along the lines of this post on the Effect Audio forum; as the cables I'm considering are all by that particular manufacturer. I thought it would be helpful to offer some additional insight though, and run it by the gurus here, in the more generic cables thread. I'm looking for a cable that has good suitability/synergy with the Hermes VIs, and the Hiby R6 over a balanced connection. Ultimately I’ve read a fair amount of reviews for the three cables listed below and feel they would be well suited to my Hermes VIs - esp as Empire Ears are now using Effects Audio cables as standard on some of the newer models. I’m hoping someone here, may have had some experience of one, or some of these combinations and can impart some advice. Based on reviews and price, I have narrowed it down to the following cables;

• Ares II 8-wire
  
• Lionheart
  
• Thor II Silver

My objective with the balanced connection is to;

a) get the best out of the Hiby R6 - which really benefits from it.

b) get the best from the Empire Ears Hermes VIs - I'm using the stock cable which only offers a single ended connection right now.

I currently have some bass attenuation from the Hiby R6, which definitely feels like an impedance artifact - so an iEMatch seems like the obvious solution in this respect?

The one thing I’m absolutely not hoping to achieve, is ‘fixing’ the signature of my IEMs with a cable. The device I would employ in this regard is the iEMatch - I saw this as a suggestion in Twister’s review of the Hiby R6 on Head-Fi, and his use of it to remedy a similarly low impedance IEM like the Campfire Andromeda to deal with the R6s high 10 ohms output. I was expecting a similar result for the Hermes VI. The only role of the cable for me, was specifically to add a balanced connection, and also hopefully squeeze the most potential out of my IEMs and DAP, once the iEMatch was added into the equation. Any suggestions would be more than welcome; as I want achieve the most effective synergy across all the components of my rig.

Many Thanks,

Dan

Hi Dan,

I only have fleeting experience with those cables and the R6, so I can't offer much insight. But from what I understand, the effect of the iEMatch would nullify the effects of both the balanced output as well as cable. This leaves you with two choices: either using the iEMatch with a cheap (balanced) cable, or forfeiting it to go for a quality cable.

If you choose the latter, it mostly comes down to what kind of 'flavor' you like. I'm assuming you are currently using the Plastics One cable that used to come with EE iems. Every other cable is going to change the signature in a different way. For instance, both Ares II and Lionheart are likely to add more mid-bass and create a warmer tone. However, Lionheart is perhaps a more neutral/natural, while Ares II is warm with a brighter touch in its lower treble. It really comes down to the characteristics of your current setup. For instance, when I am using the Phantom and SP1000 Cu, I would prefer Eros II over Lionheart, since it has less mid-bass, effectively resulting in a more articulate lower treble. But if the R6 attenuates the bass, maybe Lionheart or Ares II would indeed be better. Thor II in turn provides a different type of timbre altogether. While hard to describe, you could perhaps see it as a more uncolored hi-fi type of sound where the warmth is not dominant in the tone, even though it is nevertheless a smooth sound. But to be honest, I would go blindly on @EagleWings since he has firsthand experience with the R6, and is generally very knowledgeable.

 

[Ike1985]

Well, I can't think of a better introduction for my Venom review.

https://theheadphonelist.com/han-sound-audio-venom/




Hi Dan,

I only have fleeting experience with those cables and the R6, so I can't offer much insight. But from what I understand, the effect of the iEMatch would nullify the effects of both the balanced output as well as cable. This leaves you with two choices: either using the iEMatch with a cheap (balanced) cable, or forfeiting it to go for a quality cable.

If you choose the latter, it mostly comes down to what kind of 'flavor' you like. I'm assuming you are currently using the Plastics One cable that used to come with EE iems. Every other cable is going to change the signature in a different way. For instance, both Ares II and Lionheart are likely to add more mid-bass and create a warmer tone. However, Lionheart is perhaps a more neutral/natural, while Ares II is warm with a brighter touch in its lower treble. It really comes down to the characteristics of your current setup. For instance, when I am using the Phantom and SP1000 Cu, I would prefer Eros II over Lionheart, since it has less mid-bass, effectively resulting in a more articulate lower treble. But if the R6 attenuates the bass, maybe Lionheart or Ares II would indeed be better. Thor II in turn provides a different type of timbre altogether. While hard to describe, you could perhaps see it as a more uncolored hi-fi type of sound where the warmth is not dominant in the tone, even though it is nevertheless a smooth sound. But to be honest, I would go blindly on @EagleWings since he has firsthand experience with the R6, and is generally very knowledgeable.

How did you find it with the A18t?

 

[thedanadamsusa]

Well, I can't think of a better introduction for my Venom review.

https://theheadphonelist.com/han-sound-audio-venom/




Hi Dan,

I only have fleeting experience with those cables and the R6, so I can't offer much insight. But from what I understand, the effect of the iEMatch would nullify the effects of both the balanced output as well as cable. This leaves you with two choices: either using the iEMatch with a cheap (balanced) cable, or forfeiting it to go for a quality cable.

If you choose the latter, it mostly comes down to what kind of 'flavor' you like. I'm assuming you are currently using the Plastics One cable that used to come with EE iems. Every other cable is going to change the signature in a different way. For instance, both Ares II and Lionheart are likely to add more mid-bass and create a warmer tone. However, Lionheart is perhaps a more neutral/natural, while Ares II is warm with a brighter touch in its lower treble. It really comes down to the characteristics of your current setup. For instance, when I am using the Phantom and SP1000 Cu, I would prefer Eros II over Lionheart, since it has less mid-bass, effectively resulting in a more articulate lower treble. But if the R6 attenuates the bass, maybe Lionheart or Ares II would indeed be better. Thor II in turn provides a different type of timbre altogether. While hard to describe, you could perhaps see it as a more uncolored hi-fi type of sound where the warmth is not dominant in the tone, even though it is nevertheless a smooth sound. But to be honest, I would go blindly on @EagleWings since he has firsthand experience with the R6, and is generally very knowledgeable.

Thanks for your advice - it is much appreciated. There are two key reasons why I want to change the cable btw;

a) The stock cable is a SE connection - my DAP, the Hiby R6, really improves with a balanced connection.

b) If I'm going to change the cable, I may as well upgrade it too.

Btw, I've been listening the Hermes on a SE connection through my old Pioneer XDP-300R, and they already sound better than my UM PRO 50s on a balanced connection, and an ALO Ref 8. Really impressed so far!

I've now gone for the Lionheart; as it seems to sit between the Ares and the Thor in tone. Not too warm, but not too bright. If the iEMatch simply exacerbates the attenuation, I'll likely just return it, and stick with the cable upgrade.

 

[284033]

Flinkenick. Thanks for taking the time to respond. What you wrote makes sense but my real question isn't about having the 5th pole connected or not. It has to do with the differences between 1) having the shielding share the 4th pole (in a 2.5) going to a common ground, 2) having the shielding separated (as in the Venom dual 2.5+3.5, or 5th pole of a 4.4) going to a common ground, 3) having the shielding separated (as in the Venom dual 2.5+3.5, or 5th pole of a 4.4) going to an isolated ground.

When I reterminated my cable from 2.5 to 4.4 I was able to go from scenario 1 to scenario 2. In light of what you said, I was wondering if that move rendered any benefit because I was not able to go to scenario 3. In my situation, the IBasso DX200+Amp8 4.4 connects the 5th pole separately to ground, but it isn't an isolated ground. I tend to think that if HSA created that dual connector design, they believe a separate ground is beneficial--even without an isolated ground plane, because you rarely get that.

At any rate, the background from my cable is very black, and, as you said, that could stem from any number of reasons. At this point I'm going to stop asking questions and just enjoy it. I'm happy with the sound. It could be pixies and faeries shooing away electrons.

You may wish to read about the differences between balanced and unbalanced output here:
http://www.aviom.com/blog/balanced-vs-unbalanced/

In the case of 2.5mm output, which is typically R-/R+/L+/L-, if the shielding of a cable like the Venom is wired to the negative poles of a 2.5mm connector together with the inverted signal, you would most likely be introducing more noise into the signal, since 2.5mm balanced output doesn’t have a dedicated ground.

Therefore, HanSound Audio had to use a separate 3.5mm connector to ground the shielding of the cable to the dedicated/separate ground section of a DAP, which will result in the intended function of the cable.

However, for single ended configuration, the Venom can have the shielding shared with the L/R ground.

edit: Will be expanding this post with more examples and explanations later.

 

[edwardsean]

You may wish to read about the differences between balanced and unbalanced output here:
http://www.aviom.com/blog/balanced-vs-unbalanced/

In the case of 2.5mm output, which is typically R-/R+/L+/L-, if the shielding of a cable like the Venom is wired to the negative poles of a 2.5mm connector together with the inverted signal, you would most likely be introducing more noise into the signal, since 2.5mm balanced output doesn’t have a dedicated ground.

Therefore, HanSound Audio had to use a separate 3.5mm connector to ground the shielding of the cable to the dedicated/separate ground section of a DAP, which will result in the intended function of the cable.

However, for single ended configuration, the Venom can have the shielding shared with the L/R ground.

Thanks Kozato! That's what I figured. Also, though you didn't say it, I'm inferring that separating the shield ground carries this benefit whether the ground plane is common or isolated, though the latter would be best.

 

[hamhamhamsta]

I had the opportunity to have some quiet time with the Han Sound Venom. Before the Venom my cable experience had been like most people; I heard slight changes in vocal positioning, slight alterations to the warmth or brightness of the sound and a miniscule change in the shimmer and crash of cymbals or the extension of a drum. With the Venom it was the first time I’ve been shocked with a cable. I expected to play through all my familiar test tracks subtlety listening for changes and making notes, I never made any notes. I just listened every free minute I had(which sadly isn’t much these days) and listened and listened some more. I had the cable for 7 days but due to work and life I only got to spend a few hours out of two or three days listening, while my son slept I was up until 2am losing sleep for work alone in the dark with the Venom, my laptop (wifi, Bluetooth disabled, etc, yea I do that), Hugo2 and A18t. Cue crying audiophile meme.

It’s odd because the impressions I came away with matched exactly like those found in the description for the Venom on the Music Sanctuary page(I had never even heard of the Venom much less read it's product description). I witnessed a completely black background, a blackness that you have to experience combined with eerily realistic vocals a massive stage and true high definition. If any of you have ever been on a cave tour at Mammoth Cave when the tour guides switch off the lights, the Venom gives me the same sense of nothing when I listen in the dark with my eyes closed. There’s a massive distance, a void from which the sounds appear as striking displays of life contrasted against the utter nothing but also every note carries with it aspects from whence it came; reverberations from the deep. Performances recorded in places with echoes and unique acoustic properties are stunning, every miniscule detail of the reverberation is brought forward in stunning resolution. The overall resolution is the best I’ve ever heard from any cable.

My setup was as follows: Source -> Hugo 2 -> Venom -> A18t. Both the A18t and the Hugo2 are top tier technical performers which is why I love their pairing so much, they complement each other beautifully. A18t is a top technical performer among IEMs, class leading layering and separation, very high resolution and a massive well segregated stage. Hugo2 has many of the same qualities. I never imagined that the premium 64 Audio SPC cable would be such a bottleneck, once removed the A18t revealed what it could really do. Dense lifelike hyper-detailed vocals I’ve only ever heard on Zeus XR suddenly came forth from a monitor with slightly airy vocals. They weren’t thrust unnaturally to the fore but instead were given a sort of eerie creepy realistic quality I’ve only heard from Zeus XR. The Venom is a shielded and grounded cable and the Zeus XR has internal shielding via coating on the drivers. My guess is that the eerily realistic vocals found on the Zeus XR are due to its’ black background(shielding) and this quality is now something my A18t’s possess when paired with the Venom. As far as positioning, the Venom brings the slightly recessed vocals on the A18t back into perfect alignment and imbues them with this liquid gold realism while maintaining a totally effortless and natural presentation.

Bass extension is deep with the Venom while treble extension is ever so slightly smoothed out but since I have the wonderful 64 Audio apex module system all I have to do to increase it is replace the M20 module with the M15 and voila I’ve got more than enough treble extension. I preferred the M20 with the Venom and Hugo2 90% of the time.

I told myself I was done with my portable Audio setup; H2, A18t but the Venom taught me otherwise. It’s impossible to go back to my stock 64 Audio premium SPC cable and not know what I’m missing now. I’ve decided to purchase a Venom and I will do a formal review when it arrives and we’ve had some sweet sweet time together, to hear the rest of my impressions you’ll have to wait until then. Forgive my ranting, it’s not something I normally do. There have only been a few occasions in my audio journey where I’ve felt the need to just let the words flow and this is one of them. Much more to come very soon., I've been poisoned with Venom.

Ike, did you listen to PW1960 Blackicon 2 or 4 core, any difference in sound quality?

 

[edwardsean]

I recently reterminated my Tralucent Uber Too cable with a Furutech 4.4 giving the shielding a separated ground. I am really enjoying the results, but the cable is quite dated at this point. If you've had any experience with this cable can you advise me if whether it would be worth upgrading to one of the newer designs? I'm looking at DHC offerings and the HSA Venom.

 

[ctaxxxx]

OK, just some harmless and innocent (meant) wednesday afternoon cableporn picture post



So far these combinations work(ed) out great for me synergy wise...

Top left => EA x MS Eos + Phantom. Great synergy, but the Eos will probably be replaced by an Ares II 8-wire + PSsquare plug on that IEM in the near future.
Top mid => Toxic Silver Widow 22awg (still sad that Frank has passed away recently) + Spartan Adel. Ergonomics are maybe not the best, but the sq makes up for that imo.
Top right => Ares II 4-wire + Warbler Prelude. I tried the Eos on the Prelude, but to my own surprise (didn't expect that) I still preffered the (warmer) Ares II on that IEM.
Bottom left => PWaudio 1960 2-wire + Zeus XR. Simply the best match on the Zeus XR to my ears. Pure audioheaven from the RedWine modded AK380Cu!
Bottom mid => Norne Silvergarde S (thanks @SeeSax!) + Solar. I received this cable last Saturday and tried it on the Phantom for a while, but I slightly preffered the Eos synergy. Silvergarde sounds amazing on the good ol' Solar though!
Bottom right => Norne Silver 23awg prototype (which I had mainly on the Solar over the past months). I have this special (inbetween Therium and Silvergarde) cable for quite some time now. Ergonomics are surely better (thinner, more flexible) than the Silvergarde. But I still have to do some A-B test soon, to hear how they sound exactly, compared to each other.

Of course it's also nice to do some cable rolling from time to time, but I try to keep that to a limit, because I'm always afraid that the IEM sockets might get too loose over time, by switching too much

Which is your favorite silver cable? I'm in the market for one, likely the Norne Silvergarde. Seems to be the cheapest option for Silver in a thicker gauge. That prototype looks interesting though.

 

[284033]

Thanks Kozato! That's what I figured. Also, though you didn't say it, I'm inferring that separating the shield ground carries this benefit whether the ground plane is common or isolated, though the latter would be best.

The most ideal scenario would be to have a separate grounding box (something like an Entreq Audio grounding box, but smaller in size) for the shielding. That will really bring the grounded shielding to its maximum potential.

 

[TYATYA]

Cable brand from Vietnam, Satin Audio

Official site : http://satinaudio.com/en/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/SatinAudio/

@flinkenick Appreciate it if you can add this to the list. Thanks!

My homeland handmade cable brand.
My first experience at their product is nice p/p.
I bough same day a PW no.5 8 wire ($343) and a Satin cable, 8 wire silver plate, (apprx $250).

I can say buying PW no.5 is my mistake! I listen by a HD800 and my at home can is S version.
Mid centric. Average, sphere shape sound stage. A bit warm.
I do love the sound stage as stock cable from Senn.
I just want to have improve clean and detail.
Satin sapphire cable make me happy with its cost.

Addition. I dont know why stock cable can separate size of vocal and instruments. It push vocal to near my head on a sphere like shape, while instruments sound in oval shape field which long axis through L R direction.