Synergy
The following analysis was made with the paired IEM’s stock ear tips and Cayin N8ii as the source.
Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.1 Z-Tune Edition
The Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 Z-Tune Edition (Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1) features a slightly elevated mid-bass, forward lower to upper mid-range, and sparkly treble with excellent staging.
The strengths of the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 can be found within its mid-range clarity and resolution where it excels at fleshing out the micro details from instruments and vocals. Timbre-wise, the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 is slightly warm.
The synergy of the Ares S 8W with the Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.1 is simply excellent. The Ares S 8W enhances the mid-bass by bringing it more forward whilst increasing the overall quantity, slam, and reverb on the Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.1. The sub-bass digs deeper with better depth and extension.
The lower mid-range gains more volume and heft and notes become thicker compared to the stock cable. The key to this pairing is that the base timbre does not alter which allows vocals and instrumentals to become more resolving.
The Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.1 slightly loses its treble forwardness as it becomes slightly darker. Despite this, treble extension and detail are still very good.
The overall width and height are also slightly increased with separation and imaging delivering no significant change compared to the stock cable.
Unique Melody Mest MK II
The Unique Melody Mest MKII (Mest MKII) features a combination of dynamic, Balanced Armatures (BA), Electrostatic, and bone conductor drivers.
The Mest MKII delivers a silky Smoove frequency response with a boost in the mid-bass, forward lower to center mid-range, well-extended treble, and excellent layering and separation which is supported by its large soundstage.
The Ares S 8W and Mest MKII is an enjoyable pairing and one that synergizes well just like the Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.1. This is most likely because both the stock cable and the Ares S 8W are pure copper cables.
The Ares S 8W increases the sub and mid-bass on the Mest MKII thus resulting in more slam. The mid-bass becomes more forward in the overall sound whilst having an increased level of texture and quality.
The lower mid-range on the Mest MKII maintains its forwardness and gains more volume and heft. Vocals and instruments were still highly resolving with a high level of detail, clarity, and smoothness. The timbre on the Mest MKII is maintained with a hint of warmth.
The treble on the Mest MKII became slightly darker where the mid to upper treble region was not as bright or as forward compared to the stock cable. Treble extension and detail were still excellent with no significant change.
The soundstage height on the Mest MKII felt reduced on the Ares S 8W although the soundstage width felt wider. Imaging, layering, and separation were excellent however there was no significant change compared to the stock cable.
Select Comparisons
Effect Audio Cadmus 8W
$299
Technical
The Cadmus 8W is another Effect Audio cable within the Signature Series lineup to feature 8 wires and 24 AWG gauging. This is an Ultra-Pure, OCC silver-plated, copper Litz cable.
The main difference between the Ares S 8W and the Cadmus 8W is due to its silver plating and geometry. The Cadmus 8W has silver plating to give the Cadmus 8W more clarity to the midrange.
The Cadmus 8W does not feature the same dual propriety geometry as the Ares S 8W and instead, there are septuplet, multi-size bundles within each wire. This means that each wire uses a 7-core Litz build where different thicknesses are used for each thread.
Design
The Ares S 8W and Cadmus 8W have a similar design however the Ares S 8W wears a copper-colored coating whereas the Cadmus 8W has a sparkly silver finish. Both cables have the same feel and touch and are coated with a clear PVC jacket.
Furthermore, the thickness of each cable is similar where the suppleness and flexibility of each wire are the same. The plugs, termination case, splitter, cable slider, and connectors are made from the same materials with no difference. The Cadmus 8W features the same ConX features as the Ares S 8W.
Performance
Overall, the main differences between the Cadmus 8W and the Ares S 8W lie within the timbre, mid-range, and soundstage impact. Timbre-wise, the Ares S 8W injects less warmth to the overall sound resulting in a cooler timbre compared to the Cadmus 8W.
The silver plating on the Cadmus 8W allows the mid-range to be presented with the same forwardness but with more clarity and resolution. One’s preference between the two cables therefore will rely on the pairing itself and the timbre preference.
The Ares S 8W colors the bass slightly differently as the sub-bass digs deeper and the mid-bass has increased reverb. This is similar to what the Cadmus 8W brings to the table however the mid-bass does not slam as hard, has less bloat, and faster decay.
Both the Ares S 8W and Cadmus 8W bring extra volume and thickness to the lower midrange. However, the Cadmus 8W benefits from the extra silver plating and different cable geometry to generate a higher level of quality and resolution. Vocals and instrumentals sound smooth from both cables however the Cadmus 8W has the edge.
The treble comes off as with more sparkle on the Ares S 8W although both cables have similar extension and quality.
The soundstage width is equally wide on both cables. However, the Cadmus 8W has more height and depth. This results in better layering and separation on the Cadmus 8W where there is more space between vocals and instruments.
Effect Audio Ares S
$179
Technical
The Effect Audio Ares S (Ares S 4W) is the original cable on which the Ares S 8W was based and comes in the same premium UP-OCC copper Litz material. The Ares S features a 4-wire, 24 AWG configuration and features the same dual proprietary geometry as the 8-wire version.
Design
The design of the Ares S 4W is identical to the Ares S 8W and comes in the same copper-colored design. This implies that the plugs, termination case, splitter, cable slider, and connectors are made from the same materials with no difference.
The Ares S 4W features the same ConX features as the Ares S 8W where the connectors are interchangeable with other connector types such as 2-pin and MMCX.
Performance
This idea that more cable material means more of the same sonic impact stays true when comparing the performance differences between the Ares S 4W and Ares S 8W. As a result, the Ares S 4W and Ares S 8W both focus on enhancing the same elements: the bass and mid-range.
This time, however, the Ares S 8W doubles those areas and creates an even more extended sub-bass with more slam in the mid-bass. Noticeably, bass texture has also improved although the bass is still slow to decay.
How the Ares S 4W and Ares S 8W bring the mid-range forward in the overall frequency response is similar however there is more forwardness, better delivery, and detail retrieval from the Ares S 8W.
The treble on the Ares S 4W is above neutral with the Ares S 8W having slightly more sparkle.
The soundstage on the Ares S 8W is much wider and taller than the Ares S 4W. The difference here is like light and day and is really noticeable. This indicates that imaging and layering are much better on the Ares S 8W where instruments and vocals feel to have more space and freedom across the soundstage.
Satin Audio Perseus
$699
Technical
The Satin Audio Perseus (Perseus) is a 2-wire, mixed gauge (23 and 26 AWG) cable made from SP-OCC Copper. The Perseus uses Satin Audio’s special custom Litz design which is called the “Geōmetria dual layer structure”.
In terms of technical and design features, the Perseus is quite different from the Ares S 8W as the Ares S 8W follows a more traditional form with its 8-wire, 24 AWG gauge.
Design
The Perseus has a shiny copper appearance which is due to its special Litz design and transparent jacket. The color of the Perseus is very similar to that of the Ares S 8W. Given the cable has a dual 23/26 AWG gauge, it is quite thick due to its dual-layer structure and double insulation.
Perseus is much thicker and less flexible when compared to the Ares S 8W. The Perseus’ splitter and plug have a rose gold and dark grey appearance which match the cable’s overall theme and appearance.
From a usability perspective, the Ares S 8 W is much more comfortable, flexible, and supple compared to the Perseus which is much stiffer and less pliable.
Performance
The Perseus colors the sound in a similar way to the Ares S 8W however with less mid-bass quantity, similar volume with better detail retrieval in the lower to center mid-range, and more sparkle in the treble.
The Ares S 8W colors the sub-bass to make dig just as deep however the mid-bass to slams harder with more forwardness compared to the Perseus.
However, Perseus has the edge when it comes to bass texture and control. Within the lower to center mid-range, this is more forward on the Ares S 8W with similar amounts of volume and thickness.
Although the Ares S 8W does an excellent job of retrieving the details in the mid-range, the Perseus does a better job at this which results in a more resolving and smooth mid-range presentation.
Treble-wise, Perseus comes off as brighter with better extension and detail. High hats and cymbals have more sparkle and resolution.
The soundstage impact from both cables is very wide however the Perseus’s soundstage height is much taller which leads to better layering and imaging between instruments and vocals.
Our Verdict
For a staple after-market cable, the Ares S 8W makes no compromise when it comes to quality and value for money and sets the benchmark for affordable 8-wire cables.
The Effect Audio Ares S 8W is an impressive copper cable that targets its coloration towards the bass and mid-range frequencies. It is suitable for those seeking to enhance the sound quality of their existing audio gear by bringing in a bold mid-bass and detailed mid-range to the table.
At $279, this is definitely an 8-wire cable to look out for, especially for those seeking to enter the aftermarket cable world.
Effect Audio Ares S 8W Technical Specifications
- Selected Premium UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz
- Proprietary Dual Geometric Design
- EPO* 24 AWG 8 Wires
- EA Ultra Flexi™ Insulation
- ConX ™ Interchangeable Connector
- Rhodium Plated Brass Straight Type Plug
