EFFECT AUDIO ARES S: Bold Yet Supple

"Sound. Design. Perfection"

~~Effect Audio

Effect Audio is a Singaporean-based audio company that was founded in 2009 by Suyang, an electrical engineer during his university days. With his innate workmanship on crafting some cables that are capable of delivering a superior sound quality, a certain audio solution company, Crystal Cables based in the Netherlands that is also renowned for their premium and bespoke line of cables and also loudspeakers, did recognised Suyang's workmanship that leads into the development of the renowned "Crystal Cables Piccolino" that brought them into fame across the audio community. Their main focus on their specific audio solutions is to manufacture premium high-quality cables that exude value-for-money options for discerning audiophiles in which this part of the segment is considered a niche product in a portable audio market. They are pursuing a flawless sound quality with some audio engineering backed by their research and development team on their mastery and expertise on some metallurgical properties of materials that will be implemented on their cables.

This is actually my first product review on premium cables. I would like to address in advance that my subjective review and analysis on this one might be lacking and inexpert in the viewpoint from more experienced audio enthusiasts that specialise in this field, so I would send my apologies in advance.

To be honest, I'm on the part of the spectrum to be considered a "cable-sceptic" as I'm very doubtful that cables will drastically change the sound quality of an IEM transducer given my long journey as a portable audio enthusiast. And I consider the cable as niche part of the whole system of an IEM, but I believe that a good quality cable made of high purity material will deliver a good power output due to some factors on passive electrical components like impedance, capacitance, inductance and conductance of certain materials. To be exact, in my limited comprehension and rationale regarding this matter, in ideal conditions, cables will absolutely have zero impedance. A voltage that was produced and generated by amplifiers will simply drop off across the impedance of transducers like IEMs, headphones and even loudspeakers. So if the constant impedance of cable stays flat, so the resistance of the transducers will also stay flat.

What I have here is Effect Audio Ares S, this product model is part of Effect Audio's  Signature Series along with Eros S and Cadmus. With my initial journey on the portable Hi-fi audio enthusiasm, I actually encountered their brand with their previous models, Ares II and Maestro if my memory serves right in a local Hi-Fi store here.

This product is supposedly a successor model of the previous EA Ares II. And its namesake is based on a Greek god of War that Effect Audio also put a naming scheme on some product line-ups based on the personalities in Greek mythology

PRODUCT PACKAGING:

The product packaging of ARES S indeed exudes a premium and elegant presentation on how the packaging box was presented and how the cable was organised on its compartment cardboard inside.

Here are the following contents that you can find inside the packaging box:

● Effect Audio ARES S cable

● Leather cable organiser

● Polyester cable pouch

● User's manual

● Booklet catalogue

FEATURES & MATERIALS:

The Ares S is a 4-core cable in a 24AWG set-up. Its wire gauge appears quite substantial on its texture while maintaining a good flexibility, suppleness and resistance on entangling due its proprietary EA Ultra Flexi Insulation which is a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) - type insulation coating to protect and hold the wires together, and also to contain electrical current. The EA Ultra Flexi Insulation supposedly has a better resistance against abrasion and offers more stability on electrical properties.

The materials that were used in this cable were UP-OCC (Ultra Pure - Ohno Continuous Casting) Pure Copper. OCC or Ohno Continuous Casting is a complex casting process that greatly reduces the annealing issues and almost eliminates the possibility of grain boundaries on copper by specific heated mould in order to draw a single mono crystal in a specific length of up to 125 metres. Other benefits of OCC process on copper is that it offers better resistance against oxidation and impurities that might ruin the electrical signals, low electrical resistance, flexibility and fatigue resistance without diminishing conductive characteristics, better and faster signal transmission that will deliver a clear, transparent and uncompromising sound quality that Ares S truly offers.

The Ares S features a dual geometric design pattern that features a variety of stranding design along with several parts on a bundle. These wires were braided precisely and evened to have an ample tension in the overall design of the cable. Its earhook guide seems to be flexible enough to be worn behind my ears. Other components on the cable such as receptacle connectors, splitter and sliders are made of metal alloy and these components underwent either brushed or polished process to give a more premium look on its overall aesthetics.

The termination plug on what I've got is a 4.4mm balanced one and it was made of brass that was plated with rhodium. Any alloys that were rhodium-plated will have a better tensile strength and excellent resistance against tarnishes, scratches, dents and corrosion while maintaining a lustre surface. On its electrical properties, it has an excellent conductive material due to its high resistance on oxidation with its high tolerance properties that can handle both high amperage and high voltages just like all platinum metal groups. Upon ordering this cable, you can choose any termination plug that will be implemented on its plug socket.

Another unique feature that all Effect Audio has is its proprietary Con-X system where you can replace the choice of connector interface on either 2-pin or MMCX which makes it more versatile and will cover all the basics on pairing it with your IEM collections. Good job, Effect Audio in this innovative approach.

According to Effect Audio, it is said that Ares S will give a more punchy and dynamic bass response, smooth vocals and will add more warmth to the sound.

PAIRING DEVICES:

I pair this cable with some of my neutral sounding sets that I currently have. Here are the following IEMs that I'm using to test the Ares S:

● LETSHUOER EJ09

● LETSHUOER EJ07M

● HIBY CRYSTAL 6 MK.II

● SEE AUDIO Bravery Red

● KINERA IDUN GOLDEN

● BQEYZ Winter

● AFUL PERFORMER 8

● AUDIOSENSE DT300

My source devices that I'm using to conduct this test.

● LG V20

● LG G7

● LG V50

● QUESTYLE M15

● HIDIZS S9 PRO+ Martha

● TRUTH Shio

● HIBY R6 PRO II

Android Apps:

● HIBY Music App

● Neutron App

SOUND IMPRESSIONS:

In my initial test as I'm doing A/B testing for 5 hours at daily basis every night in 10 days straight before I going to sleep as I do some IEMs and source swapping, there is no drastic improvements that it really changes the whole sonic profile but there are some subtle emphasis particularly in the bass and midrange section that I observably notice if I did some concentration on my critical listening mode but Like I said it wouldn't change the sound profile of an IEM, if there is, it will a very marginal one to be noticed audibly.

But there is an unexpected outcome of this assessment which until now,I can't fathom how to explain this one on how that it happened. When I put the EJ07M with Ares S cable in a balanced output in a warmer source DAC/amp dongle , The TRUTH SHIO, it truly add some warmth on it that emphasis the midbass and midrange to have more texture and volume on its note weight that makes EJ07M to sound closer to warmish-neutral sound, same with BQEYZ Winter and KINERA IDUN GOLDEN. In my speculation and analysis, it seems that on this matter that cable pairing is also something to do source matching.

On resolution capabilities, due to good conductivity of the material, The ARES S will deliver a crisp, clear and transparent due to rapid signal transmission.

To summarise my assessment about this product. Effect Audio Ares S is the first model and the most affordable one of their current Signature Series. And this will also serve as the latest introductory model of their current line-up of cables if you are interested in delving more on their products.

As I conclude my review on this product, the Effect Audio Ares S is indeed a premium cable that will be a good accompaniment for your IEMs as it will be an attention grabber on how it was crafted like a work of art. Will I recommend this one? If you have an extra dosh and want your IEMs to look more elegant at a reasonable price, then I will definitely recommend this one.

EFFECT AUDIO ARES S is currently available on Effect Audio's official store online.

LINK: 

https://www.effectaudio.com/ares-s

SPECIFICATION:

MATERIALS: UP-OCC Pure Copper, Rhodium-plated Brass (Termination Plug)

WIRE CORE BUNDLE: 4-core

WIRE GAUGE SIZE: 24 AWG

LENGTH: 1.2M

TERMINATION: 4.4mm Balanced

PROS:

● Made of choice high quality materials

● The overall construction is sturdy and well-built for a premium cable.

● Aesthetically eye-pleasing one of its overall cable designs.

● Product packaging on this one looks classy after all to feel luxurious on its unboxing experience.

● Well-accessorised for a cable product.

● Smooth, supple and flexible.

● Didn't encounter any hint of microphonics at all.

● Crisp and clear sound output.

● Rhodium-plated brass termination plug

● ConX system for detachable connector of your choosing for certain type of IEM connector requirement.

CONS:

● Quite pricey unless you can afford them

● The subtle changes really depend on pairing to a proper source, beyond that it might be a placebo (Still need more studies to gather substantial data on this testing)

● It might be a bit wieldy and unbalanced if you used them on lightweight IEMs.

● Wishing for modular termination plugs

P.S.

I am not affiliated to Effect Audio nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to Jordon Tan of Effect Audio for letting me to be part of Effect Audio Review Tour Philippines. I truly appreciate his generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.