Performance Impressions
All sound impressions were completed using a mixture of IEMs including the Noble Audio Viking Ragnar, the FiR Audio Krypton 5, and the Vision Ears Phonix. Sources include the Cayin N8ii, the HiBy RS8, and the Luxury & Precision P6 Pro.
Summary
It is almost as if the Eclipse is silver in name only such is the contrast in the tone I am getting from our test monitors compared to the Reference Silver and other competing silver cables.
This shies away from reference, not so neutral with less of a laser-like focus on intimate detail than you might have expected. True to Astral Acoustics’ brief description the Eclipse is indeed much beefier than you might think, certainly more bombastic on the lows and surprisingly smooth right up to the final octave.
It is a hell of a match for any dynamic driver IEM that comes tuned with sparkling highs. It’s an almost perfect match to the Noble Viking Ragnar which does require careful pairing given its very clean and energetic highs though with a deep bass response.
With the Eclipse Ragnar pairing you get a distinctly powerful sub-bass presence, plenty of body throughout and a slight softening of the treble response to make it a very dynamic performance.
If anything, the Ragnar sounds bigger and deeper than the stock cable which is saying something as it’s already one of the most expansive imaging monitors on the market today.
There is a contrast though with the typical Silver wire focus. The Eclipse delivers a very big sound but in doing so it shies away from the same type of clean and pure focus through the mids that the Reference Silver offers.
What you get is a very natural and agreeable harmonic balance with some gorgeous and sweet-sounding vocal performances but they are not quite as upfront or the main star of the show.
For that, I would suggest the Reference Silver but it does come at the cost of that impressive low-end presence.
Timbral Changes
Smooth, slightly sweet with some pairings, full-bodied on the lows, even-harmonic on the mids and highs. That about sums up the general IEM synergy or timbral response I was getting with the Eclipse pairing.
There are some pros and cons to that. Those that prefer a clear, clean, and sparkling high that in turn injects a bit of bite into the mids of their IEMs might feel the Eclipse is not the most aggressive of pairings.
That is true to a certain extent, this is a forgiving sound which is not what is always required with some monitors.
For example, I did feel it was less ideal with the likes of the FiR Audio Krypton 5 custom monitor that tends to go hell for leather in delivering God-like bass but in doing so the more relaxed mids delivery from the Eclipse got overshadowed, and perhaps overly smooth.
Where the Eclipse does work wonderfully well for timbral synergy is with cleaner monitors where you need a bit of a low-end boost and a taming of the highs.
You will not lose resolution in the process, rather it slightly softens the attack and lengthens the decay of high-impact instruments such as percussion hit and string plucks that can often sound tinny and harsh if robbed of texture and body.
Staging & Dynamic Range
I have no concerns at all with the dynamic range performance of the Eclipse paired with any monitor. The 24AWG 4-wire more than matches the 8-wire 26AWG Satin Audio Athena. I would say it goes a bit further than the Athena, (and the PLUSSOUND Silver+) by offering an improved level of depth and power.
The Athena does well in delivering an above-average full-blooded delivery and the dynamics are almost on par. However, where I found the Eclipse stretching ahead was in how much more holographic it sounded without having to tease out a lot of treble energy to create that impression.
If you are a 64 Audio tia Trio or Visions Ears VE7 you might appreciate that kind of performance. Both have some serious treble extension but I tend to pair them both with something like the N8ii or in the case of the Trio, a pair of foam tips to keep the highs from being overly aggressive.
The Eclipse is another tool in the arsenal to keep those two monitor’s highs from sounding overly dry or bright, even with more neutral-sounding DAP such as the iBasso DX240. Not to mention just how much more bass presence and depth you get from both IEMs when compared to the more neutral Reference Silver.
What I would say is the Eclipse is not for you if you like a mid-focused hyper clean sound with vocals and treble above all others. This is a more relaxed non-fatiguing tone so highs fade gently rather than push forward.
Synergy
A couple of areas in the Eclipse performance synergize very nicely with the IEM pairings I had selected for this review.
Power
The first is that depth or power combined with the full-bodied timbre and slight hue of warmth that goes along with it.
Here I found this to work well with dynamic drivers or IEMs with a larger woofer-type BA in them. You definitely can get a rumble out of these types of monitors where it is not possible with the Reference Silver.
For example, the 64 Audio Trio and the Vision Ears Phonix are two contrasting designs, one with a hybrid 10mm dynamic driver for the lows and the other with a quad driver pack of BAs. Both of these get a substantial physical lift in volume and power with the Eclipse pairing using the HiBy RS8 and the LP P6 Pro sources.
Out of the two, I would say the difference between the Eclipse and more neutral Reference Silver is more obvious on the Trio but no doubt the Phonix low-end sounds weightier when switching between the two cables.
Timbral Warmth
My only caveat is the creeping warmth which does permeate into the mids and top end a little. This does help to dampen down on any sharp partial overtones and metallic nasties and Trio users to know that its treble can get lively when pushed.
The Eclipse seems to gel with the Trio well keeping the treble sounding natural without any unnecessary attenuation.
However, for mids and percussion lovers who like it clean and focused the likes of the Silver+ from PLUSSOUND and Astral’s Reference Silver might be a cannier pick.
Both let in a bit more treble ‘cooling’ and focus more on the midrange clarity but it does come at the cost of some bass presence.
The Eclipse is tailored-made though for the Nobel Audio Viking Ragnar. It has both power and a strong treble presence that sometimes requires careful matching. The Eclipse retains that power and body and delivers a much smoother treble than I was expecting. It’s an excellent pairing for just about anything.
You can throw the Vision Ears VE7 also into the mix with its sparkling and airy treble reproduction. Again, a BA low-end but one that has a bit more of a lift than most BA IEMs.
The Eclipse does well to emphasize that and keep the top end sounding natural and clear.
