EFFECT AUDIO CADMUS: Silvery and Splendid

"Sound. Design. Perfection"

~~Effect Audio

Cadmus is a Greek hero of a Phoenician origin. He is the brother of Europa who was abducted by Zeus that takes the form of an aurox bull. He was advised by an oracle from Delphi not to pursue his sister anymore and was advised to follow a cow where he founded the city of Thebes. He is also the husband of Harmonia, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, her name is also the personification of symmetry and order.

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 my second review on a premium cable. Once again, I would like to address in advance that my subjective review and analysis on this one might be inadequate and sounds inexpert on this matter and it should be taken as grain salt but I'll try to deliver some of my observations and findings on this cable as much as I can.

I'm sticking to my position as a “cable sceptic" as I need more data that will back-up  that cables will drastically change the sound quality of an IEM transducer. But cables made of high quality, high purity materials will deliver a better power output due to some factors on passive electrical components like impedance, capacitance, inductance and conductance of certain materials. As a matter of logic 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 Cadmus, this product model is part of Effect Audio's Signature Series along with Ares S and Eros S, and this cable model serves as a middle ground between those cable models. Effect Audio is well-aware that some audio enthusiasts have its preferences on choosing a cable and some basic knowledge on certain properties of a material will “improve” some certain parts of the frequency range.

PRODUCT PACKAGING

The product packaging of Cadmus 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 CADMUS cable

● Leather cable organiser

● Polyester cable pouch

● User's manual

● Booklet catalogue

FEATURES & MATERIALS:

The Cadmus 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)  Silver Plated Copper Litz. OCC (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. Meanwhile, regarding Litz wiring , it is a process whereby individual insulated magnet wires either braided or in twisted turn into having a uniform pattern, it was designed to minimise skin effect that will be detrimental that affects the conductive process on delivering electronic signals. It was usually applied on devices for high frequencies; this one is also used on both television and radio equipment, sonar and radar equipment, communication equipment and even transformers. So what will be its benefits on audio quality? Theoretically, it will give more emphasis on treble frequencies while preserving some nuances and detail and lessens inference noises.

The benefits of OCC processed on Silver-plated Copper in Litz weave format 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 clarity without distortion .

Like the Ares S, The Cadmus also features a dual geometric design pattern that features a septuplet Multi-size Core bundle. These wires were braided precisely and well-woven to have an ample tension in the overall design of the cable. Its earhook guide appears to be flexible to be worn behind my ears for long listening session. Other components on the cable such as receptacle connectors, splitter and sliders are made of metal alloy, specifically aluminium and these components underwent either brushed or polished process to give a more premium and classy 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.

As stated by Effect Audio, it is said that The Cadmus will give a tighter and dynamic bass response, improve resolution and clearer and airier treble feedback.

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, In some tests, it seems that the sources has something to do with pairing of this cables and IEMs.

If I put this cable along with an IEM in neutral or bright-neutral sources, the improvements of treble response, clearer resolution, a tad transparent midrange and some marginal attenuation on the bass response that makes it a bit more rumbly are quite audibly noticeable to my ears. But on warmer sources like Shio dongle, I didn't notice any improvement on ant frequencies at all. I did this test on LETSHUOER EJ07M, Performer 8, BQEYZ Winter, HIBY Crystal 6 and BQEYZ Wind.

On resolution capabilities, due to good conductivity and high quality of the materials used in this cable, The Cadmus will surely deliver a crisp, clear and transparent sound due to rapid response of its signal transmission.

As I conclude my review and put up a conclusion about this product,  Effect Audio Cadmus is indeed an excellent cable for discerning audio enthusiasts who want to add a classy and sophisticated look on their IEMs as this cable is quite eye-pleasing to behold. With some marginal improvements on its frequency range to be noticeable depending on pairing a proper source if you do a concentrated and critical listening mode, this cable did a good job for its specific use and with its slightly increased price compared to the Ares S is somehow justified in my opinion.

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

LINK: 

https://www.effectaudio.com/cadmus

SPECIFICATION:

MATERIALS: UP-OCC Silver Plated 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 Mr. 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.