The Effect Audio Centurion is an 8-wire super-flagship cable that belongs to the Hall of Fame Series of Effect Audio.
Disclaimer: I’ve received the Effect Audio Centurion in exchange for my honest opinion. I tested the cable with the PEARS SH-3, Softears RS10, Vision Ears VE7, and M-Fidelity SA50.
About Effect Audio
Effect Audio is one of the most recognizable cable companies in the market which is based in Singapore. One of the features of Effect Audio is their collaboration efforts with companies such as Empire Ears, Jomo Audio, and Vision Ears, which are very good brands in their own right. With their relations to the other well-known companies, and with their products’ performance as a whole, EA obviously is a reliable manufacturer in terms of aftermarket cables.
I also need to say that whenever a fellow audiophile asks me about which cable they should get, one of the first brands that come to my mind is Effect Audio and I personally recommend their cables. We’ve been reviewing their products since 2014 so it goes a long way. They recently renewed their online website and you can check it here.
There are a lot of different options in their product range, distributed into four different series in their portfolio. The entry-level cables belong to the Vogue Series. This series is about price/performance, and the Grandioso is a very good performer in that regard. The EVO Series is the newest addition to their lineup with EVO 1 and EVO 10 cables. Then comes the Heritage Series which contains the legendary Leonidas cable (2nd edition).
Effect Audio Centurion
However, the most impressive cables from Effect Audio belong to their Hall of Fame. These contain fantastic craftsmanship and sound. They’re so good that you could start asking yourself how cables create this much effect. I remember I was particularly blown away by the sound of the Horus cable myself in 2018. The Hall of Fame from Effect Audio is very very special and Centurion is their most ambitious effort to date.
Their previous flagship, the Code 51 is also very impressive and was simply a statement to the market, just like today’s Centurion. You can check its own review below from Linus.
Effect Audio Centurion
About Centurion
The new Centurion is a result of Effect Audio’s ambition to create the best IEM cable in the portable audio market. They have been experimenting with the gold-plated silver and silver-gold alloy combination for some time, and finally, they decided to use this configuration with the new flagship.
So yes, the Centurion is made from Gold Plated Silver Gold Alloy UP-OCC, Effect Audio claims that this is the first-ever in the industry. In other words, they ultimately brought the Horus and the Code 51 together in a single cable.
The rest of the specs are as follows:
- 26 AWG 8 Wires
- 7 Core-Bundling
- Multi-Sized Stranding
- EA UltraFlexi™ Insulation
- Superior Pentaconn 4.4mm plugs
- Titanium Shelled ConX® Interchangeable Connector
Effect Audio Centurion
These are standard specs. So there’s no 4-wire version. The 4.4mm Superior Pentaconn is also standard but you can have the cable with different output terminations if you wish. Centurion also comes with the new ConX system as standard. If you need more information about ConX, you can check it out here.
Rising above the pinnacle of the IEM cables, Centurion features the highest levels of performance.
The “Centurion” name comes from the ancient Roman army. Centurion was an army position of approximately 80 elite legionaries. With their admirable courage, almighty strength, and the will to inspire breakthroughs, they have led the Roman army to great achievements.
The Centurion is a result of a cost-no-object approach. It’s just like the DMP-Z1 or Orpheus. It’s a statement, the result of the ultimate quality and craftsmanship. No detail is missing, no cost has been spared and that includes the accessories which I will mention shortly.
Effect Audio Centurion
Design
At face value, the Centurion doesn’t look too flashy to reflect its ambitious nature when you inspect it first. However, once you get used to it and handle it more, you realise the level of quality is very very impressive.
The output jack and connectors of the Centurion, as well as the splitter’s outer layer, are made from titanium alloy. The splitter’s outer layer can be slid upwards to become a chin slider. That leaves the actual black coloured y-split open, showing the individual silver/gold alloy wires. So this is a double layer splitter design which is a very authentic solution. The black inner y-split is made from black aluminium alloy. The chin slider design is derived from Centurion’s helmet. You can see the wires through the helmet, which represents the determined eyes of a Centurion.
The splitter sets the tone for the design of the cable mostly, and the titanium jack and connectors complete it nicely. The design of the Centurion is very elegant, moderately assertive but quite down-to-earth as well.
Page 2: Build Quality, Ergonomics, and Accessories
Page 4: Comparisons and Conclusion
