Comparisons
Here we will find a couple of select comparisons to Raphael’s siblings and a community favorite – the PW 1960s cable. Hopefully this will aid you reaching a decision whether the Raphael is for you or not.
Eletech Cassiel
The Cassiel is Eletech’s newest Silver-plated Copper cable, coming in at 299 USD. I am a big fan of it, although I never liked SPC cables myself in the past.
Raphael is richer, smoother and more organic sounding than the already smooth Cassiel. It also has better values in technical performance. Creating a grander and wider stage, where the performers have more room and space to play in. Raphael gives me higher resolution and more detailed texture and better layering than Cassiel.
Cassiel has a more forward sound in the treble, giving it more bite and energy. Raphael on the other hand adds a bit more volume to the lows and lower mids for a warmer sound overall. In the mids both have that typical Eletech open and smooth sound, but it’s Rapahel that really takes the lead here.
Eletech Ode to Laura
The Ode to Laura is Eletechs ultimate flagship cable, and as such, it also costs a pretty penny more than the Raphael. Ode to Laura can be yours for 2,799 USD, which is almost six times the price of Raphael.
Still, I was very interested to see if the Raphael would offer something from Eletech’s summit. And while Laura is in a different league of its own, Raphael definitely gives me a taste of the flagship.
Although the Ode to Laura is superior on a technical level, bringing out the highest amount of details, creating a vastly bigger stage and rendering the music with much higher accuracy, both cables share tuning similarities. Raphael and Laura both have an immensly rich and beautiful sound, that really goes out of its way to let you connect with your music. Both of Eletech’s offerings have this added emotional character and warmer tuning that is aiming for enjoyment. Of course Laura takes everything to eleven, but it is very refreshing to see how much of Laura’s tuning and performance can be found in Raphael.
PW Audio 1960s (Empire Ears Stormbreaker version)
PW Audio’s 1960s cable has been around for a long time now. So much, that there are even clones of it floating around using the same wires from Cardas. The 1960s in question for this review is the one Empire Ears uses for their Odin IEM. It is essentially the same cable, with different hardware. The regular 1960s costs 999 USD.
To my ears, the 1960s and Raphael are standing quite far apart. The 1960s is drier and sharper, while the Raphael is richer, fuller and softer sounding in comparison. The PW cable tickles out an immense amount of details and infuses a touch of warmth to the lower regions, just like the Raphael does. But Eletech’s cable does so with a more organic approach. It still brings out a similar, if not higher, amount of resolution as the PW, but by taking a step into a more nurished direction. To me Raphael has more flesh in its sound and gives me more emotional mids and vocals. Overall Raphael is just that bit more mouth-watering if you will.
I always found that the 1960s was a touch too harsh in its treble, namely the lower-treble regions. Where it could push already forward monitors over the edge. The Raphael on the other hand does the opposite. It tames harshness and makes treble more accessible.
In my opinion, the Raphael would be better bundled with the Odin than the 1960s. It just makes this monitor more enjoyable, taming some of the upper mids and lower treble that Odin is critically known for.
Conclusion
Raphael is quite a cable. I started listening to it a good bit before I even knew the pricing. And once Eric told me, it was clear he wanted to create a new benchmark, which he absolutely did in my opinion. The Raphael boasts a wonderfully organic and – for the lack of a better word – romantic tuning.
It infuses a smoother sound, an emotional mid-range and superb detailing around the entire spectrum. It gives space to the instruments and paints a pitch-black background. I honestly can’t think of a better cable at that price.
Eletech’s new Raphael cable punches well above its weight and fully deserves to be in our Recommended Accessories list! It is just such a damn well executed Gold-Copper cable.
Pros:
Exemplary performance
Very high price to performance ratio
Build Quality
Exemplary customer service (see head-fi thread and Eric’s presence 😉 )
Cons:
None at that price point
Cliff
Nice!