Brise Audio YATONO Rh2+ Review

The Brise Audio Yatono Rh2+ is a $1200 high-end upgrade IEM cable from Japanese Brise Audio.

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Disclaimer: I received the Brise Audio Yatono Rh2+ as a review sample free of charge. I tested the cable mainly with the PEARS SH-3 and M-Fidelity SA50 CIEMs, along with the Lime Ears Pneuma universal IEM.

Intro

The popularity of IEM cables has increased a lot. People already realized a long time ago that those cables make a difference. Although I still come across people who say cables don’t change anything, it seems most of them know that they actually do. In my opinion, cables do affect the sound quality, but of course, that doesn’t mean the sound will always be better. It’s all about synergy.

It’s also quite important to have an ergonomic and durable cable. Since the market has shifted its focus to portable audio in the last couple of years, people demand long-lasting and flexible cables. Let’s see how this Japanese offering performs for all of those points and most importantly, in sound.

Brise Audio YATONO Rh2+

About Brise Audio

Brise Audio is a high-end cable manufacturer from Gunma, Japan. It is a renowned brand in the Japanese market but not very famous in the other markets yet. However, they’re trying to make some ground especially in the portable field, where boutique audio cables are quite important.

When they started back in 2015, the company’s initial target wasn’t the portable market however, it instead was home audio solutions in Japan. After 1-2 years, they decided to enter the portable audio field. Yet I’m sure that they often use their knowledge from home audio for their portable solutions.

The company’s CEO is Naoki Okada, who I personally met in CanJam London 2019. He’s a very nice man to share opinions with, and he really wants to showcase how his cables perform with good IEMs. I personally think he did just that and I hope he will be around in future shows if this pandemic will be over of course.

Brise Audio YATONO Rh2+

The Yatono Rh2+

Normally the Yatono is Brise Audio’s flagship cable which utilizes oxygen-free copper wire and some authentic solutions special to Brise Audio. And yes, they don’t use silver or silver-plated copper wires. They think that the silver material doesn’t quite give what they require so they ended up with copper instead. The OFC might not sound flashy or impressive to you. Having said that, the important thing for Brise Audio is not building the cable with unique materials from space. The important thing here instead is the correlation and harmony between the materials with the insulation design.

Yatono Rh2+ is derived from the standard Yatono model which is the flagship as I mentioned. The Yatono Rh2+ however is easier to produce than the actual flagship so they created this cable to improve productivity. Also, this model utilizes Furutech rhodium played headphone jack, and rhodium-plated 2-pin or MMCX connectors.

In addition, a shielding consisting of seven layers is partially placed, and CNT (carbon nanotubes) are used for better performance. Brise Audio takes things very seriously and they apply a no-compromise approach as far as I can see. Their solutions also show that they indeed derived some experience from their home audio appliances.

Brise Audio YATONO Rh2+

Build Quality & Ergonomics

The Brise Audio STR7-Ref was one of the best cables I’ve ever seen in terms of build. Yatono Rh2+ is no different. The craftsmanship is incredibly good and to me, this cable can survive any kind of usage. I think Okada-san gives big importance to the build quality considering their design choices and attention to detail.

My sample is terminated with a 2.5mm rhodium plated BAL jack and 2-pin connectors. I really like the 4.4mm connection for its sturdiness but I no longer have the Sony WM1A. The jack is a straight type and it’s very durable with a very professional look. There are some low profile solutions with smaller jacks in the market, but as I said, Brise Audio does not accept any compromise in their design. However, you might find this jack rather large.

Brise Audio YATONO Rh2+

The 2-pin connectors are more rounded than some other cables and they have blue & red markings for left & right, together with Brise Audio logos. They look pretty nice and complementary to the rest of the design and they also feel rock solid to me. In this Yatono model, they have a gray painting to reflect this particular series.

One thing I really liked though is the memory wire area. The memory wire is short with a good balance between flexibility and stiffness. Also, the material on the memory wire is soft, so it doesn’t bother your ear with its presence, even with long listening periods. This is critical for my experience with aftermarket cables.

Another exceptional detail for the memory wire is that Brise Audio uses a slim titanium rib for bending the memory part around the ear. Also, the tips of that titanium rib are twisted to prevent any tearing problems with the wire (which happens with some stock or aftermarket cables), and also for the users’ health. The attention to detail here is astounding.

The overall strength and flexibility of the cable are really good. This isn’t the most flexible cable you would see, because of the no-compromise approach, but judging the materials and the craftsmanship, this level of flexibility is actually a success. Looks-wise I think Brise Audio cables look quite charismatic and more serious than most. Though this is not a cable to show-off, it instead is a cable to get the best sound possible with the best materials and structural design. Yet, one detail I liked is the cable slider which is made from genuine wood. It’s such a great and classy touch to this full black design.

The review continues on PAGE 2 by clicking here using the page numbers below

5/5 - (23 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

2 Comments

  • Reply December 5, 2020

    Steven Zore

    Very interesting. I wonder how it compares to PWAudio 1960s.

  • Reply January 7, 2023

    Albe

    Thanks for your detailed review, still in doubt between Yatono RH2+ and Asuha Ref.2 for Aroma Jewel, have you tried them with Jewel?

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