EFFECT AUDIO EROS S: Desirably Luxurious

"There is no art without Eros"

~~ Max Frisch, Swiss Playwright and Novelist

Eros is a Greek god of love and sex and his name itself means desire. He is one of the 8 Erotes that serves as retinue to Aphrodite, the goddess of lust, love, pleasure and beauty. He is the husband of Psyche, the goddess of the soul that takes the form of a beautiful woman with butterfly wings on her back.

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 third review on a cable product and this one is part of the three models of Effect Audio's Signature Series on their premium cable line-up . Once again, I would like to inform my readers in advance that this is my purely subjective take on this product, and my analysis on this one might be lacking and inadequate so take it with a grain of salt.

As I mentioned again, I'm still staying sceptical that cables will drastically change the sound profile of an IEM transducer and it was proven with my testing that in most cases in won't work like that but rather you take some consideration on source pairing as it has some noticeable changes, but I still believe that a cable made of high purity material that underwent some complex process will deliver a good power output due to some factors on passive electrical components like impedance, capacitance, inductance and conductance of certain materials. Once again, 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.

As it was stated in the heading above, This product model is christened Effect Audio Eros S. The third model of the Effect Audio's Signature Series line-up serves a flagship offering as it is more pricey than both Ares S and Cadmus due to its more premium material that were used on this cable. This one is a successor model of the previous Effect Audio Eros II that was released around 2016.

PRODUCT PACKAGING:

Like the Ares S, the product packaging of Eros S really exudes a premium and elegance as how its packaging box was presented and also, on 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 Eros S cable

● Leather cable organiser

● Polyester cable pouch

● User's manual

● Booklet catalogue

FEATURES & MATERIALS:

The Eros S is an 8-core cable in a 26 AWG set-up. Its wire gauge appears quite a bit leaner on its texture compared to the Ares and it is a bit rough on its texture. Besides its striking difference with other cable models, it still retains a supple, flexible and less prone to entanglement. Each wire was insulated in a matte-like coating material in a grey colour scheme.

The materials that were used in this cable were UP-OCC (Ultra Pure - Ohno Continuous Casting) Pure Silver Litz and a Pure Copper Litz Hybrid. As I mentioned in my previous statement in the Effect Audio Ares S review regarding the OCC process, OCC (Ohno Continuous Casting) is a complex casting process that greatly reduces the annealing issues and almost eliminates the possibility of grain boundaries on silver 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 silver 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. Meanwhile on the Litz wires, it is a multi strand wires that were individually enamelled with polymer and it used in electronic application to carry AC frequencies as it reduces the increase in resistance of wires due to some effects that will impede its conductive performance such as skin effect and proximity effect, thus it will deliver a transmission signal without distortion and it said that it will deliver a more accurate sound. With the combination of metallurgical properties of hybrid cable configuration, this will truly deliver a more refined and even more versatile performance on delivering signal transmission to have a better power output without any distortion.

The Eros S features a septuplet multi-size core bundle that each individual wire uses a Litz build that is variable for each specific thickness on its threads. These wires were braided and weaved tightly to have an ample tension in the overall structure of the cable. Its earhook guide seems less flexible compared to  previous models but it seems alright to be worn behind my ears. Other components on the cable such as receptacle connectors, splitter and sliders are made of aluminium  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 families. 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!

From Effect Audio's recommendation, it is said that Eros S will improve some of its technical aspects like wider sound/speaker stage, more defined layering, and a transparent and accurate 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 Effect Audio Eros 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:

On how I conducted my test on other Effect Audio cables, this cable was also tested along them as I include it during my A/B testing phase for 5 hours at daily basis every night in 10 days straight before I going to my bed as I do some IEMs and source swapping, there is very minimal to none improvements that it really changes the overall sonic profile. But there are subtle audible improvements on some of its technical aspects that I will share some infos.

When I paired it to a more analytical or brighter source, pairing the Eros S with the EJ07M, HiBY Crystal 6 II and AFUL Performer, these sets give me a perception that it is somehow improves the spaciousness of sound/speaker stage, a subtle separation of instruments and more delineated layering on the said IEM models that I've mentioned, I even try it to other sets with less refined layering like ORIVETI OD200 (black nozzle mode)  and BQEYZ Autumn but I don't hear any improvements as their layering aspect is audibly the same to my ears. I paired it with warmer sources like the SHIO dongle, there is no improvement of its either tonal or technical capabilities at all.

Due to the excellent metallurgical properties of the hybrid material configuration of its cable. The Eros S will definitely deliver a crisp, clear and transparent due to rapid signal transmission.

To summarise my assessment on Effect Audio Eros S, this cable truly represents the premium and its bespoke quality that Effect Audio defines themselves as a company as it delivers a phenomenal performance that some cable sceptics might have some second thoughts about their viewpoint on correlation between cables and IEMs.

As I conclude my review on this product, the Effect Audio Eros S is the epitome of premium and luxurious cable and if you are an IEM enthusiast that has a substantial collection and a financially stable individual, I will suggest that you should try one out.

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

LINK: 

https://www.effectaudio.com/signature-series/eros-s

SPECIFICATION:

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

WIRE CORE BUNDLE: 8-core

WIRE GAUGE SIZE: 26 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.

● A bit stiff earhook guide.

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.