Synergy
The following analysis was made with the IEM’s stock ear tips and Cayin N8ii as the source.
Kinera Nanna 2.1 Z-Tune Edition
The Kinera Nana 2.1 Z-Tune Edition features a slightly elevated mid-bass, forward lower mid-range, slightly forward upper mid-range, and sparkly treble with excellent staging.
The main focus of the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 is on 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 leans slightly warm.
The pairing of the Cadmus 8W with the Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.1 was an interesting one as the stock cable is also a silver-plated copper cable. It was therefore interesting to see how much coloration there would be.
The Cadmus 8W enhances the mid-bass by bringing it more forward and increasing the overall quantity, slam, and reverb on the Kinera Nanna 2.1. The sub-bass digs deeper with more depth and extension.
The lower mid-range gains more volume and heft and notes become thicker compared to the stock cable. Vocals and instrumentals become more resolving even though the timbre becomes slightly warmer.
The Kinera Nanna 2.1 does lose its treble-forwardness as it becomes slightly recessed and not as bright. Despite this, treble extension and detail are still very good. Although the Kinera Nanna 2.1 loses its “airiness” between the mid-range and treble due to the thicker lower mid-range, the overall sound does become more engaging.
The overall staging width is slightly increased with less height. Layering, separation, and imaging had no significant change to the stock cable.
Unique Melody Mest MK II
The Unique Melody Mest MKII features a combination of dynamic, Balanced Armatures, Electrostatic, and bone conductor drivers. The Mest MKII excels in delivering a silky Smoove frequency response with its mid-bass boost, forward lower mid-range, well-extended treble and large soundstage.
The Cadmus 8W and Mest MKII are an enjoyable pairing and one that synergizes well. The Cadmus 8W increases the sub and mid-bass on the Mest MKII thus resulting in more slam and reverb. The mid-bass becomes more forward in the overall sound whilst having an increased level of texture and quality.
The already forward lower mid-range on the Mest MKII gets a boost of its own and gains more volume and heft. Vocals and instruments were still highly resolving with a high level of detail, clarity, and smoothness.
Timbre on the Mest MKII became warmer with the Cadmus 8W. The treble on the Mest MKII became darker and the mid to upper treble region was not as bright as with the stock cable. Treble extension and detail were still excellent with no significant change.
Soundstage height on the Mest MKII felt slightly reduced on the Cadmus 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 Ares S 8W
$279
Technical
The Ares S 8W is another cable in Effect Audio’s Signature Series lineup and is a Premium UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz cable. The materials used in the Ares S 8W is similar to the Cadmus 8W, however, it does not come with the same silver plating as the Cadmus 8W and uses pure OCC Pure Copper only.
The Ares S 8W features an 8-wire 24 AWG configuration and houses a dual geometric design which is slightly different from the Cadmus 8W’s 7-core multi-sized core bundle.
Design
The Ares S 8W and Cadmus 8W have a similar design where they are both 8 wire 24 AWG cables 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 Ares S 8W features the same ConX features as the Cadmus 8W and is interchangeable with other connector types.
Performance
The Ares S 8W operates as a traditional pure copper cable by enhancing the bass and midrange. It does an excellent job of boosting the sub and mid-bass by adding more depth, quantity, and slam. The sub-bass digs deeper where 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 and has less bloat and faster decay. The main differences lie within the mid-range, soundstage, and layering.
The Cadmus 8W has a slightly warmer timbre than the Ares S 8W which has a cooler timbre. 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 of vocals.
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 Cadmus 4W
$199
Technical
The Effect Audio Cadmus 4W is the original cable on which the Cadmus 8W was based and comes in the same Premium UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper Litz material.
The Cadmus features a 4-wire 24 AWG configuration and features the same 7-core multi-sized core bundle as the 8-wire version.
Design
The design of the Cadmus 4W is identical to the Cadmus 8W and comes in the same shiny silver design. This means that the plugs, termination case, splitter, cable slider, and connectors are made from the same materials with no difference.
The Cadmus 4W features the same ConX features as the Cadmus 8W where the connectors are interchangeable.
Performance
Logically given a cable more materials will take the base coloration aspects of a cable up a few notches. This idea stays true when comparing the sonic differences between the Cadmus 4W and Cadmus 8W.
As such the Cadmus 4W and 8W both focus on enhancing the bass, midrange, and staging. However, this time, the 8W basically doubles those areas and creates an even more extended sub-bass with more rumble in the mid-bass.
Although there is more bass quantity on the Cadmus 8W, the bass texture has also improved. The lower midrange of the Cadmus 4W is just as forward compared to the Cadmus 8W however there is better delivery, detail, and smoothness.
The treble on the Cadmus is above neutral with no significant difference between the two cables. The soundstage on the Cadmus 8W is wider and taller than the Cadmus 4W. Imaging and layering are better on the Cadmus 8W where instruments and vocals have better overall placement and spacing.
Astral Acoustics Pulse
$550
Technical
The Astral Acoustics Pulse is a 23 AWG, LC-OFC Copper cable and features a Type 6 Litz geometry which houses multiple bundles of type 4 wires twisted around the main fiber core.
The Pulse has a 23 AWG gauge which is thicker than the 24 AWG gauge on the Cadmus 8W.
Design
The Pulse has a distinct copper color appearance and is coated with a translucent PVC jacket. The Pulse features a matte black finish on the plug, splitter, cable ring, and connectors which are all made out of metal. There are hints of silver plating on the top of the plug, cable ring, and connectors.
The combination of matte black and copper colors is a fantastic match, and it gives the cable a premium feel and appearance. This contrasts with the Cadmus 8W’s shiny and silver appearance.
Performance
The Pulse focuses on coloring the mid-bass and mid-range which is similar to the Cadmus 8W. The Pulse comes off with a similar coloration to the sub-bass where the added quantity and slam are more or less the same.
However, the Cadmus 8W has a more forward mid-bass with more presence and a warmer timbre compared to the Pulse.
Although both the Cadmus 8W and Pulse focus on the lower mid-range, the Pulse does not bring the lower mid-range as far forward or add as much volume and body when compared to the Cadmus 8W.
Instead, the Pulse focuses more on the airiness and detail of the mid-range. As such, the lower mid-range on the Cadmus 8W is more forward.
Both cables deliver excellent resolution and clarity to the mid-range however the Pulse has a slight edge. Treble coloration from both cables is similar and leans towards being slightly bright.
The soundstage width is similar between the two cables however the Pulse gives a bit more height and therefore improved layering and separation compared to the Cadmus 8W.
Our Verdict
The Effect Audio Cadmus 8W is a very good cable for those seeking to enhance the bass, mid-range, and staging at a very reasonable price.
Effect Audio has brought its A-game to its affordable signature series by ensuring the design and craftsmanship of the Cadmus 8W are second to none.
Effect Audio Cadmus 8W Technical Specifications
- Selected Premium UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper Litz
- Septuplet Multi-sized Core Bundle
- EPO* 24 AWG 8 Wires
- EA Ultra Flexi™ Insulation
- ConX ® Interchangeable Connector
- Rhodium Plated Brass Straight Type Plug
