Satin Audio Athena & Medusa II Review

PW Audio – No. 10 (190$)

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The No. 10 has just been released this January as the anniversary cable for PW Audio’s tenth cake day. It’s a 24 AWG cable of undisclosed material. From looks and price I’d assume it’s a silver-plated copper cable. In terms of build quality I’d rate the Medusa II higher. It is softer and uses higher quality parts in my opinion.

On a sound level, the No. 10 and Medusa II both have a fuller presentation with a rich sound. The PW cable offers a higher dynamic range however. It reaches deeper and higher than the Medusa II.

The Medusa II sounds a bit smoother and more elastic in its bass than the No. 10, which has just a tad higher resolution. The PW offers a finer nuanced texture and a wetter, richer sound in the lows. The Medusa II is a bit more neutral in richness than the PW. It offers a touch more transparency in the mid-range than the PW, which colors more towards a warmer sound. The Medusa II provides better vocal clarity and a richer, more emotional sounding vocal performance.

Satin Audio Medusa II and PW Audio No. 10

PW’s No. 10 has the edge on higher resolution and a larger scaled sound stage. It offers a darker background. Both cables do very well in terms of imaging and positioning in their respective venues. The PW Audio cable however separates instruments with a sharper cut.

Treble on both cables is well extended, but the PW reaches slightly wider up top. Both offer a richer and softer top-end, where neither of them will cause sibilance or discomfort. The Medusa does sound cleaner in its treble to me though.

Effect Audio – Eros II (299$)

The Eros II is a mix of pure silver and pure copper wires in 26 AWG size. The build quality on both cables is pretty much the same. But the Eros II uses nicer looking parts. That of course is in the eye of the beholder, and you could certainly prefer the gunmetal aluminum of the Satin over the EA’s hardware. Comfort wise the Eros II and Medusa II are also very much identical.

In terms of sonic differences the Medusa II is warmer in general and has higher levels of richness. The Eros II is more neutral and focuses more on technical strengths than the Satin. The Medusa has a fuller and more energetic low-end. It sounds wetter and weightier in the bass too. The Eros II provides more resolution and a tighter grip. It also sounds a bit faster than the Medusa II.

The Medusa has a richer sounding mid-range, that provides a more emotional vocal presence. The Eros II sounds dryer and more analytical here. The Satin Audio cable gives me more body and weight throughout the mids, and puts especially lower mid-range sounds out with more physicality. The Eros II again stays more neutral and concentrates on a sound that’s aiming for technicalities.

Both cables stretch a sound stage in similar dimensions. The Eros II goes a notch deeper but the Medusa II reaches just a touch wider. The Eros II has the upper hand in layering and resolution, but both come out en par when looking at background darkness. The Medusa II creates higher contrast and displays the musicians in better spotlight. It also produces better extension on both ends to me.

Treble is a bit brighter and more forward on the Eros II than on the Medusa II. It sound sharper and more energetic compared to the calmer Medusa II. The Medusa again has a richer and wetter sound in the treble.

Satin Audio Medusa II

Conclusion:

I have heard about Satin Audio a long time ago. People praised their cables for their extremely competitive prices and impressive performances. When I was approached by Music Sanctuary to do the review for the Satin Audio Medusa II and Athena I was curious to hear them myself. Up until that point the only first hand experience with Satin Audio I had, was with the Hyperion cable that Gaudio supplies. And since I didn’t listen to the Hyperion outside the Nair and Clariden I didn’t really grasp a direct idea of their performance.

What Satin Audio offers is two great value cables. The Medusa II is a wonderfully rich and to some extent even musical cable, that doesn’t sound silver at all. The Athena just wows with its full bodied sound and technical abilities. It’s a cable that stands with its head up high against its competition.

Purely on performance, I think these two cables are superb contenders. The case of the Athena clearly left a bad taste, and Satin could offer hardware that looks more premium in my opinion. I know it’s nothing that determines the sonic qualities of a cable, but the visual aspects also play a role in boutique cables.

Satin Audio Athena

Now, should these cables go on our list of Best Accessories? The Athena honestly is impossible not to put up there, it offers just too much on sound alone and does put its competition in the rear-view mirror. The Medusa II however would have to kick out PW’s No. 10, which it doesn’t to me. So only the Athena goes up on the list.