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ddHiFi M120B
Technical
There are 4 options for this affordable M120B cable, which can appease many audiophiles. You can choose between USB-C or lightning for the termination plug and MMCX or 0.78mm for the IEM plug. There is also an M130B available with different wires.
Each termination plug carries different DAC chips onboard.
For the USB-C termination, it uses an ALC5686 which can support PCM decoding of up to 32bit/384kHz. The lightning termination on the other hand has a C100 DAC chip with PCM decoding capability of up to 24bit/48kHz.
Aside from the plug terminations, the IEM side also has 2 choices – an MMCX and a 2-pin 0.78mm, much like the Nyx Pro, but without the interchangeability.
Wire
The M120B, regarded as the “mini ocean” uses a shielded upgrade cable like the ddHiFi BC125A air ocean.
Its main core is made of a high-purity OCC with a small amount of pure silver inside. Inside is a 25.6 AWG Litz high purity OCC and pure silver for the core and 22AWG Litz silver plated OFC for the shielding.
In-line DAC
The M120B deviates from the traditional mobile DAC setup with a DAC + cable setup but instead fuses it into an all-in-one package, with in-line control and microphone support to boot.
The placing is clever, instead of a plain traditional Y-splitter, a circuit board is placed to better distribute the weight. This ingenious design makes the product functional, with similar comfort to traditional cables.
ddHiFi also claims that the chip on board has efficient power decoding, which means lower power is used with the cable, preserving the battery life of mobile phones.
Design
The cable has a green-colored outer sheathing, which is surprisingly appealing. It is paired with the ddHiFi hardware with both gold and silver accents. The gold accent is more on the yellow side – similar to Campfire Audio Solaris’ gold color.
I found it to handle better than the Nyx Pro due to its smaller gauged wire. You are of course limited to your choice of connections whether that be USB-C or Lightning, but those in need will look at this for that specific purpose.
Performance
As an entry-level DAC cable, this is an upgrade compared to most commonly available entry-level 3.5mm upgrade cables. Overall, it has a low noise floor, making sound across frequencies to have good clarity.
Timbre
The M120B enhances the upper and lower frequencies by adding more quantity and quality to it, much like the Nyx Pro, but with less of an impact. Sub-bass and mid-bass are further enhanced and more evident, especially with IEMs that carry a flat tuning.
The upper midrange and treble regions are also highlighted, with a more forward retrieval. Although, it does feel a bit shriller and more technical with more detail retrieval.
The overall performance of the M120B cable is surprisingly good. There is little coloration, with no hint of warmth, but with more emphasis on the richness of detail retrieval.
PLUSSOUND Copper XL
On the more expensive side, the Copper XL provides a more vibrant signature than most copper cables can ever dream of. It does so without losing sight of copper’s strong point, the bass response
Technical
The Copper XL consists of a fairly thick 18AWG UP0OCC pure copper wire with individually enameled coating combined with PLUSOUND’s signature Type 6 Litz geometry in a 2-wire configuration.
The unique 2-wire X cable consists of one 18AWG XL wire per channel intended for IEM use and all purposes.
The Litz group bundle count is raised to 36 (compared to just 6 on 26AWG wire). Purportedly, this eliminates almost all electrical resistance, for efficiency, improving the output power. As a result, while the pattern can be used for headphones, it is designed with IEMs in mind.
Varied dampening cores are also used for the first time. This maintains a round shape for consistent conductivity, helps to prevent mechanical vibrations that may affect interference and interruptions, and softens the XL wire to make it as flexible as the smaller gauge wiring.
The proprietary outer insulation used on XL wire provides increased flexibility and durability, mimicking supple smaller-gauged IEM wires. This should also help to reduce the effects of microphonics from larger cables.
Design
PLUSSOUND cables such as the Silver Plated Copper XL or the Tri-Silver, have a very high level of craftsmanship, finishing, and a very classy feel to them; if a bit stiff. The Copper XL falls right into that philosophy and is designed to carry on that premium touch.
The two 18AWG copper strands are wound somewhat loosely until they separate at the Y-splitter. I noticed that if you want, you could tighten the braiding simply by twisting the strands together. I did this, and due to the supple nature of the wires, the tighter braid stayed in place.
The individual cores can be seen clearly through the clear proprietary insulated sheath. For such a large gauge cable, the Copper XL lays quite nicely, and with less tug than one might expect.
Performance
The PLUSSOUND Copper XL adds a touch of richness and warmth, as one might expect from an all-copper cable, but surprisingly the level of detail rose as well.
Better clarity helped with instrument placement and provided a succinctness to the tonality that showed well without becoming dry or analytical.
Copper is known to add more color to a signature than silver, seemingly at the expense of detail. That is not the case with the Copper XL.
The sub-bass and mid-bass ranges from the paired IEMs showed improved clarity, while also reaching deeper. Paired with the warmer, richer signature of the Shanling M6 Pro it did not make the duo too dark or molasses-like, benefitting from the Copper XL’s excellent level of detail.
While the control is tighter, the note weight carries through with a clarity-driven naturalness that follows a copper cable’s main suit.
There was an excellent grumble down low, with plenty of reverb through the Solaris 2020, lightening the overall tendency for it to sound somewhat dark and uncontrolled. The grunt down low did not carry over into the mids, allowing the transition to proceed smoothly.
Resolution in the midrange comes across as more organic in performance than the Nyx Pro, but it should. Midrange clarity carries forward with a slight lifting to the presence region, with better detail retrieval, as opposed to the punch up top in the Nyx Pro.
This elevation carries over into the upper region, allowing for a smooth transition with the grace for which copper cables are known. The Copper XL comes across as vibrantly smooth.
This is among the smoothest transitions I have heard from a copper IEM cable and done so without losing detail or becoming too smooth in overall character.
Effect Audio Eros S 1st Anniversary Edition
Technical
The Eros S 1st Anniversary Edition cable is an ultra-pure, OCC silver Litz and copper Litz hybrid cable and comes in an 8-wire, 26 AWG configuration. That 8-wire cable composition is a combined blend of silver and copper materials.
This allows the best of the silver and copper to meld with each other, producing an engaging and highly resolving sound.
This is, of course, the premise that silver cables are generally known for teasing out the details in the mids and treble. Copper material is there to support the bass frequencies and provide that engagingly warm timbre.
The Eros S 1st Anniversary cable features Effect Audio’s septuplet multi-sized core bundles. This means that each wire uses a 7-core Litz build where different thicknesses are used for each thread (like the Nyx Pro).
Multi-sizing allows Effect Audio to build a Litz cable with different-sized wires, thinner ones for high frequencies and thicker ones for lower frequencies.
Design
The Eros S 1st Anniversary Edition cable features a jet-black coating which is sprinkled with gold-colored flakes. Effect Audio refers to this palette as “Star Dust Noir”.
The intention was to exhibit fireworks in celebration of the Eros S’s anniversary. This palette appears on the main parts of the cable, namely the wiring and the splitter.
Other parts such as the connectors follow the theme and have a jet-black tone. The jet-black finish matches many of the IEMs I own while exuding a classy and elegant look.
The termination is made of polished and brushed aluminum however there is an option to purchase the cable with a Pentaconn OFC 4.4mm termination.
The standard plug itself is made of rhodium-plated brass coming in the standard 2.5mm, 3.5mm, or 4.4mm variations. The splitter and cable slider are mainly comprised of the same material as the plug case.
The splitter also has a black forged carbon fiber plate on both sides. This is different from many Effect Audio cables. The splitter is quite large as a result. It is made out of polished and brushed aluminum with a matching black color like the cable.
The connectors (ConX shell) are made of anodized aluminum, in black, and are finished with a gold-colored ring leading to the 2-pin connector. Effect Audio’s ConX technology allows you to change the connector itself for example from a 2-pin to MMCX.
Regarding the ear hook, this part of the cable is a thick plastic or PVC material finished with a black color which fits well with the overall anniversary theme.
Performance
The Eros S 1st Anniversary cable is a dynamic and unique-sounding cable capable of delivering sonic enhancements across all frequencies. It colors frequencies across the spectrum to deliver a lush and smooth sonic performance.
The sub-bass depth decreases slightly but does add an improvement in texture and layering. The same can be said about the mid-bass where it becomes punchier with faster decay albeit with improved bass texture. This is very similar to what the Nyx Pro does, too.
In general, bass notes have a decent amount of slam, focusing more on the resolution of the reverb and its dynamics. Depending on the pair-up, you do lose that bit of tactility but it’s quickly replaced with improved bass quality.
The lower to upper mid-range frequencies receive a boost (similar to the Nyx Pro, but more pronounced) and are presented in a more forward manner. The lower to center mid-range is more prevalent which allows vocals to come forward which is closely followed by the upper midrange.
What you end up with is a pretty linear presentation of the mid-range with a slight emphasis on vocal delivery.
This makes the Eros S 1st Anniversary cable suitable for those listening to mostly male and female vocal-based tracks. I found that the Nyx Pro carried vocals a bit better, with slightly more detail and clarity without losing focus.
There is a hint of added treble sparkle but not too much so that it becomes harsh or sibilant. The treble extension is decent with adequate levels of detail and resolution (very much like the Nyx Pro).
Those seeking more in the treble region may be a bit disappointed, but that should not turn you off to a very good cable.
My Verdict
The ddHiFi Nyx Pro aftermarket cable is more expensive than the company’s other products, so it is reasonable to expect better performance.
Adding depth to the bass, while expanding the low-end and high-end a bit highlights this better performance. I found better depth to the soundstage that mirrored other higher-end cables while presenting a good definition of the detail, too.
The jack attachment works well, but I wonder about longevity since it is a simple push/pull connection, without a lockring.
For those who change jacks quite a bit (I change cables instead), this may warrant a bit of consideration. However, from what I have seen in use, it should last a long time.
ddHiFi has produced another fine IEM cable with exemplary construction. The Nyx Pro can fit your needs with dual jack connectivity, a very good fit and feel, and with the right mix of addictive effects to enjoy your music with a wide range of earphones.
ddHiFi Nyx Pro Technical Specifications
- Cable Gauge: 25.4 AWG
- Core conductor material: High-Purity Silver & Monocrystalline Copper (Taiwan)-Litz Type 2 core conductor structure-0.08mm x 7 strands x 4 wires (Pure Silver); 0.05mm x 56 strands x 4 wires (Monocrystalline Copper)
- Internal insulation: NUC (Japan) High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)-Made In Japan
- External Insulation: High transparency SoftFlex PVC (Made in USA)
- Plug connector: Mini-XLR 4-pin
- Plugs: 4.4mm balanced-1, 3.5mm single-ended-1
- Nyx-Pin (interchangeable connectors): 0.78mm 2-pin (1-3.0mm long, 1-3.5mm long)
- Weight (w/ 4.4bal & MMCX connector): +/-34g
- Length: 120cm
