Disclaimer: The labkable Titan Au cable was provided to me on loan for this review directly by labkable and will be returned. Labkable is not a site advertiser or in any way affiliated to Headfonia. Many thanks for the opportunity.
About Labkable:
Labkable is a premium aftermarket cable manufacturer seated in Hong Kong. They have a vast selection of cables in each price category. In their offerings, can be found cables with four and up to ten wires.
The following is what Edmond of Labkable sent me on their history:
Established since 2009, we are one of the most famous audio cables (DIY and factory terminated) and accessories shop located in the prosperous centre of Hong Kong. We are all-around cable specialist, on around 2011, we started to use audio grade conductors for Headphone cables and IEM cables as well.
Our philosophy is there is no perfect cable for a single system, cables are used for sound tuning and is a matter of mix and match. Different music lovers have his own preference and we offer as wide as possible variety of sound signatures, so every customer can find a sound that matches their own preference. Thus, apart from using premium material as conductors, we also know the sound tuning technique which can enhance the ultimate performance of the cable. For examples, the Quantum cable running treatment (HQT) and Far Infrared Radiation Technology (F.I.R.T) are commonly we used on our Master / Ultimate series cable.
We have featured labkable in a previous review on their more affordable Silver Galaxy Mix II and Samurai III cables.
When you want to order a custom-built cable from them, make sure to check out all their offerings on their website, as they have a whole line of aftermarket solutions for every budget. They however don’t have a true online shop, so it is best to check out their dealer listings and see if you might even be able to demo their products locally.
About Titan Au:
Titan Au is labkable’s top of the line offering together with the differently tuned Titan Ag, which is a pure silver cable (99.999%). Both cables are seated in labkable’s Ultimate Series. Au is, just like the addendum spoils, a gold plated silver cable. It is a ten-wire construction which splits to five wires per side. Before each set of Titan’s gets released to the customer it is run in with their Hyper Quantum cable running treatment for 60 hours. Labkable suggests that you also give it another 40 hours with your own music before giving your final judgement on its sound. The Titan cable uses labkable’s WeaveTech structure design, which currently is patent pending. The cable can be terminated with different connectors and plugs. Mine came with 2-pin connectors for my custom IEMs and a 2.5mm balanced plug.
Titan Au will set you back roughly 2300 $
labkable Titan Au
Package:
When I reviewed the Samurai III I was already impressed by the great packaging and supplied accessories they offer their customers. Now with Titan Au that didn’t change much. When I got the cable I was overwhelmed by the impressive jewellery like box in high gloss black. It screams luxury throughout and the whole unboxing experience has left me stunned. Also supplied is a velvet pouch and a warranty card. All in all the packaging is top notch for the price.
Build Quality:
The Titan Au as said is made of ten wires, due to this construction the entire cable is quite a bit stiffer than other offerings with lower wire count. The wires are braided in triple and duo pairings. The Y split is a durable metal barrel, that beholds a Swarovski crystal on top. The company logo is also printed in gold colour on the brown body. After the split you will find a very low-profile chin slider, which is just a cut-off piece of plastic. This slider does not reflect the position of the Titan in labkable’s lineup to me, and certainly not its price. We’ve seen much nicer solutions from other companies that offer higher value components for cables that are considerably cheaper. Sure, that is nit-picking, but at a price level of the Titan’s I think the whole package must be consistently premium. The cable splits into five wires respectively for each side. Left and right side both have a pre-formed heat-shrink performing as ear-hook. The 2-pin connectors are made of metal and have the L and R indicators on their inside, as well as the wording “labkable” on the outside.
labkable Titan Au
The 2.5 Millimetre plug is gold plated and I have seen this exact plug used by many manufacturers, it has the Astell&Kern ‘A’ on it. I think a Rhodium plated plug would’ve been nice.
For me personally comfort is one of the most important aspects of an aftermarket cable, after sound quality of course. The cable itself is a good notch heavier than most of my cables, and with the existing stiffness of the cable it does put on a certain amount of pressure on my ears when I use it. Build quality in my opinion leaves room for improvement, and I hope labkable will address them.
The review continues on page two!
