Signature Series 8W Sound Quality
The latest EA Signature 4W cables have already demonstrated significant improvements from the previous generation. What’s great about the new Signature Series is that it offers a variety of options to suit everyone’s preferences. For instance, the Ares S cable delivers a rich, vibrant sound with outstanding bass, while the Cadmus cable provides crystal-clear audio with exceptional resolution. Whether you’re looking for lush and bright sound or clarity and precision, the EA Signature Series has got you covered.
With the introduction of the 8W versions, we can expect a significant performance improvement. Let’s examine the new models more closely to see their capabilities.
Ares S 8W Sound
Ares S is an exciting cable in the Signature Series. EA has doubled the number of wires, resulting in an even more impressive bass boost. This cable works best with flat-sounding IEMs, providing a full-bodied presentation.
The standard 4W version sounds a bit mechanical with a fairly good soundstage and musical mids. It has great vividness and excitement, with an organic and natural experience. It’s powerful and immersive, with deep, rumbling bass that makes you feel like you’re in the front row of a concert.
When you switch to the 8W version, you hear a more flowing and liquid sound. The bass is more controlled, there’s more space and air in the sound with an improved layering performance. There’s also a better extension on both ends of the spectrum. The sound overall is tighter and faster with better PRaT. You hear a more focused sound with sharper separation and a more transparent mid-range.
The Ares S 8W is an excellent choice for making flat IEMs sound more enjoyable. It’s an immersive, vivid cable, even more so than the 4W.
Cadmus 8W Sound
As I plugged in the Cadmus, the bass took a step back, presenting a flatter response with a faster pace. Though the bass lacks the richness and depth of the Ares S, it still retains the texture. Moving on to the midrange, the Cadmus sounds a little drier and less colourful than its counterpart. However, the mids are crystal clear, giving me a transparent sound. As for the treble, it isn’t as in-your-face as the Ares S, but it has a certain controlled brightness that adds a lot of space and clarity to the sound. If you’re looking to add more brightness to your IEM’s sound, the Cadmus cable might be just what you need.
Compared to the 4W, it’s closer to the “reference” type of sound simply because it has better technical performance. There’s better control, focus and PRaT, as well as a more spacious staging performance. I also think that the overall bass performance is better with the 8W version, as well as treble extension and detail. It also noticed that it works well with dynamic driver IEMs, such as the IE 900.
CODE 23
Code 23 is Effect Audio’s extravagant copper cable that aims to deliver the best possible performance from a single material. Think of this one as a Ristretto coffee; stronger and bolder than an Espresso, for those who want the most intense and potent signature. It looks nothing like a usual cable in the market. It feels like EA decided to convert this cable to an IEM cable at the last minute before it was going to be released as a headphone cable. You can purchase it as a headphone cable in fact, for an additional cost (200$).
If you’re looking for comfort, the CODE 23 is the last cable that you can ever think of. It’s very stiff, heavy and doesn’t have any flexibility at all. Using it on the outside is a big no, at least in my experience. However, the build quality of the 4.4mm jack, the y-split and the overall construction of the cable is fantastic. Still, it’s difficult to use it regularly.
CODE 23 uses 16,5 AWG wires, which is quite insane when we’re used to seeing 26 AWG wires in the market. It also has 12 cores that surround a single solid core, achieving a great ratio of bundle cores to a single wire. The cable also has EA’s “TermX” interchangeable headphone jack design, as well as the usual “ConX” for the IEM connector end.
CODE 23 Sound
CODE 23 is the most focused and intense-sounding cable in the lineup. Especially the mid-range is quite close to the front of the stage with a bold, lush and full approach. The trade-off is that you perceive a smaller soundstage, but not to the point that bothers you. The timbre in this cable is excellent in my opinion, giving you a unique mid-range performance.
When it comes to bass, well, you have a lot of bass here. There’s fantastic bass authority, slam and kick. Yet, despite the intense texture and impact of the bass, it remains under control. That is pretty impressive. Considering this is the “bass monster” of all the cables out there, the amount of control is unexpected.
This cable is a strong one in technicalities. You get great detail, which can be easily ignored because of the overall full and bold presentation. But when you focus, you realise the amount of detail you get is excellent. This is a very tight, intense and focused presentation though. Don’t expect to have the amount of space and air you get from the Cadmus 8W or the Cleo II OCTA.
However, this is the most intense and focused bass response you can get from a cable. CODE 23 is indeed very unorthodox, and unique.
Page 1: Intro, Ares S 8W, Cadmus 8W
Page 3: Cadmus Founder’s Edition, Cleopatra II OCTA, Conclusion
