Today, we review the latest IEM cable by Toxic Cables, the Hornet. It’s a 22AWG Graphene plated Copper cable selling for £285 GBP.

Disclaimer: Toxic Cables supplied the Hornet for this review. Headfonia and Toxic Cables are in no way related to each other. 

Toxic Cables

Not much can be found on Toxic Cables’ website about their history. But from what I could gather, they have been around since at least 2011. Soon after the Head-Fi impressions thread started. A place where people have been raving about the quality of Toxic’s products.

Toxic Cables is a British one-man manufacturer of high-quality earphone and headphone cables. They produce a wide range of cables that go from £ 115 all the way up to a whopping £ 2,695. In between are a lot of options for discerned audiophiles looking to squeeze out the last drops of audio performance.

Here is what Toxic Cables say about their products:

Be warned these cables have a high audio toxicity and people are known to suffer from loss of productivity due to the increased enjoyment of their audio from my cables. The manufacturers (me, myself and I) take no responsibility for staring off into the distance for prolonged periods of time or the missing of public transport. My cables will poison your very soul with the need to have better audio I should probably apologize for this, but since I am likewise afflicted, tough. I have made a selection of cables using the best components to bring your music to your ears. I love good audio and hope you too will join me in audio nirvana with Toxic Cables.

Toxic Cables has a vast selection of different cables in their portfolio. And in today’s review we will be taking a close-up look at their all-new IEM cable – the Hornet.

Hornet

The Hornet is Toxic’s first venture into Graphene coated cables. Though Graphene has been around our corners for many years, Toxic never felt comfortable with what those cables had to offer in the past. I remember back in 2017 or 2018 I held my first Graphene cable in my hands and thought it sounded unfinished and strange at times.

Graphene is a fantastic material though with many interesting physical and electronic properties. You should really check it out if you have the time. It’s very promising in many different fields.

The Hornet is a 22 AWG Graphene coated copper cable, using a two different sized strands design, which Toxic first used in their flagship cable – the Phönix. The wire itself is a cryo-treated modified Type 6 cable.

Toxic Cables’ Hornet is available in two different color schemes. In black and orange – the reason for the naming. You can buy the Hornet directly from Toxic Cables or one of their retailers around the world for £285 GBP.

According to Toxic’s website, the current build time for a cable is 14 weeks.

Package

Since our last Toxic Cables review, they have amped up their packaging game a little. Although the cable will still be delivered in a plastic bag, you will now get green cable ties, a cleaning cloth and a transport bag with your new purchase.

Honestly, I don’t think you really need much more than the cables and I think it’s nice to see, that all your money goes straight into the product. Sure, it feels nice to open a luxurious package, but personally, I don’t need it.

Build Quality

The build quality of the Hornet is just like you’d expect from an expert brand like Toxic Cables. They have done an excellent job when it comes to braiding, as it doesn’t feel too loose or too tight at all.

With a size of 22 AWG the cable is on the thicker side of IEM cables already, but I still haven’t had any issues with weight or comfort myself. Sure, it doesn’t vanish behind your ears like other cables, but after a while of wearing it, you won’t notice it anymore.

My Hornet features Tellurium plugs and connectors on both ends. I opted for a 4.4mm balanced termination with 2-pin connectors. A black and red logo on the 2-pin barrels indicates the signal channels. Connect the right earpiece to the red logo side.

Of course, Toxic Cables offer all kinds of different configurations for the Hornet. You can get different plugs and connectors. They even offer swappable connectors, where you can change from 2-pin to MMCX or others. We have seen this from other manufacturers as well, and I think it’s great to see it spread in the community. When ordering, you can also choose different lengths and y-splits. The choice really is yours!

The build quality is top notch, and the orange color really is a looker!

Sound

I know cable sound is a very hot topic. There are camps of people saying that they don’t make a difference at all, and a camp where people can hear sonic differences. Personally, I don’t care if you can or cannot hear the effects of cables in your chain. If you do, enjoy the heck out of it. If you don’t, that’s cool too. I have heard many different cables over the course of my audiophile journey and can say without a doubt, that there is something happening.

Of course, a cable can never change the entire sound of your IEM, headphone or speakers. So don’t expect a cable to turn your IEM into a whole new animal. That’s not how this works. With a cable you can uncover the last few drops of performance and optimize sound.

Moving on.

The sound part continues on the next page. Click here or use the jumps below!