Synergy
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition synergizes well with its source and IEM it’s connected to whilst providing a black background and good dynamic range.
In terms of IEM pair-ups, the Cadmus Founder’s Edition colors the sound in a similar way for both tri-brid and pure Balanced Armature (BA) IEMs. Thus, this makes the Cadmus Founder’s Edition suitable to be used and paired across all types of IEMs.
The following analysis was made with the paired IEM’s stock ear tips and Cayin N8ii and Cayin RU7 as the source. The IEM stock cable was used as a synergy comparison. As such, the change in variables was kept to the bare minimum.
Kinera Nanna 2.1 Z-Tune Edition
The Kinera Nanna 2.1 Z-Tune Edition features a slightly elevated mid-bass, forward lower to upper mid-range, and sparkly treble with excellent staging.
The main focus of the Kinera 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 Nanna 2.1 is slightly warm and comes with a silver-plated copper stock cable.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition increases the quantity and quality of the sub and mid-bass. The sub-bass digs deeper whereas the mid-bass gains more slam.
The lower to center midrange is still at the forefront over the overall sound frequency curve however it is not as far forward as compared to the stock cable and therefore is slightly pulled back.
The mid-range’s overall resolution increases and the Cadmus Founder’s Edition is able to extract even more detail. The vocals and instrumentals sound lush and smooth.
The Treble has excellent detail and extension however there is a slight change where it becomes less bright compared to its stock setup. The main impact of the Cadmus Founder’s Edition on the Kinera Nanna 2.1 is the improved staging, separation, and imaging.
The soundstage expands horizontally and vertically with a more noticeable change coming in stage height. As the height increases, so too does the separation and imaging. The mid-bass, lower, and center mid-range separation now feels more spacious with better distribution of vocals and instruments across the soundstage.
Timbre-wise, the impact is minimal, and the Kinera Nanna 2.1 retains its slightly warm timbre. With regards to background noise, the Cadmus Founder’s Edition allowed the Kinera Nanna 2.1 to have a very black background with no hissing noises detected.
Elysian Acoustic Labs DIVA 2023
The Elysian Acoustic Labs DIVA 2023 comes with a 3-way rotary bass switch allowing for on-the-go change to the sub and mid-bass levels.
With its standard bass switch setting, the DIVA focuses on delivering a highly resolving mid-range which is supported by a slightly elevated low end. The treble comes off as neutral with excellent extension and quality. Timbre comes off as slightly warm. The soundstage is very wide and tall. The DIVA comes with an Effect Audio Ares S as the stock cable.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition pairs very well with the DIVA. The first noticeable change is that the sub and mid-bass increase with quantity. The sub-bass digs deeper and the slam on the mid-bass increases.
The increase is not as much as changing the bass switch on the DIVA to the blue or high setting and rather sits somewhere in between the white or default setting and the highest bass setting.
The bass, therefore, becomes slower to decay with more “boom”. The quality of the bass notes improves as there is better texturing and layering compared to the stock cable.
The most noticeable difference in the midrange is there is an increase of warmth in the overall timbre. Additionally, the lower and center mid-range pushes forward in the overall frequency response curve where vocals feel even “closer”. Vocal and instrumental notes within the mid-range have more weight and sound thicker.
The quality of the midrange improves where the Cadmus Founder’s Edition is able to flesh out more detail. Treble remains un-change and comes off as neutral with excellent detail and extension on the DIVA.
The soundstage width remains the same however depth increases leading to better separation of instruments and vocals and slightly better imaging.
Select Comparisons
Effect Audio Cadmus 8W
Technical
The Effect Audio Cadmus 8W is an Ultra-Pure, OCC Silver-Plated, Copper Litz cable. The aim of the silver plating is to give the Cadmus 8W its bold mid-bass whilst adding heft and clarity to the midrange.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition is similar to the Cadmus 8W however it features an additional gold plating and different geometry in 2 of its 8 wires. As the name suggests, the Cadmus 8W comes in an 8-wire, 24 AWG configuration.
Design
The Cadmus 8W has a similar design to the Cadmus Founder’s Edition with the exception that it does not feature the same gold wiring as on the Cadmus FE. Overall, both cables exhibit a simple and elegant design. The Cadmus 8W features the same connectors, splitter, cable wiring and plug as the Cadmus FE.
Performance
In a nutshell, the Cadmus Founder’s Edition carries the same hallmarks of the Cadmus 8W just with more refinement, deeper soundstage, and more space or separation between instruments and vocals which makes it a more rounded cable compared to the Cadmus 8W.
Of course, if you are sensitive to the price delta, then the conclusion may vary however sonically, the benefit of the Cadmus FE’s cable materials are there.
The main sonic differences lie with how the Cadmus Founder’s Edition colors the lower and center mid-range and its ability to have additional imaging and separation capabilities.
The sub and mid-bass impact is more or less the same in terms of quantity and quality coloration. The mid-range on the Cadmus 8W has a similar finish to the Cadmus Founder’s Edition in that the musical notes are thick, lush, and highly detailed.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition just takes it a step further by providing even more detail and clarity to the mid-range which is a result of increased separation and a deeper soundstage. Hence, the Cadmus Founder’s Edition delivers a wider and deeper soundstage compared to the Cadmus 8W.
Treble on both the Cadmus 8W and Cadmus Founder’s Edition comes off as neutral however the Cadmus Founder’s Edition has more extension and detail. Timbre-wise, both cables have a similar warm signature to them.
Kinera Imperial Orlog
Technical
The Kinera Imperial Orlog cable is a fitting comparison to the Cadmus Founder’s Edition given that it has a similar spec sheet.
The Kinera Imperial Orlog is an Ultra-Pure OCC dual material hybrid composition cable. The dual-material hybrid composition refers to the fact that there are two different materials used within the Orlog.
This means that 4 wires feature a gold-plated copper and silver-plated copper material whereas the other 4 wires are comprised of pure copper and silver. The Orlog used for comparison is an 8-wire configuration with a 26 AWG gauge.
Design
The design of the Kinera Imperial Orlog is much more intricate and delicately finished compared to the Cadmus Founder’s Edition which is much simpler. The design of the Orlog is centered around the splitter, cable plug, and connectors.
On the Splitter, the barrel has a black aluminum composition and the bottom of the barrel itself features a gold circle of mountains depicting the Scandinavian landscape.
To finish, the Kinera Imperial logo is printed in the middle of the barrel. The cable ring has the same golden circle of mountains with Kinera Imperial’s motto “Live only for Honor” engraved into it. The connectors and cable plug are made from the same black aluminum material as the splitter.
Performance
The Kinera Orlog and Cadmus Founder’s Edition tread similar waters in the sense that they both aim to color the bass and mid-range in a similar way by increasing bass quantity and quality and providing extra details and resolution to the mid-range.
The sub and mid-bass quantity increase is higher on the Cadmus Founder’s Edition where the sub-bass digs deeper, and the mid-range has more slam and slower decay.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition focuses more on the mid-bass coloration by adding in extra layering thus leading to more reverb and slam. The lower to center mid-range is presented in a similar manner from both cables with a high level of quality and resolution.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition takes it in a different step as it allows the mid-range to come off with thicker and weightier notes from vocals and instrumentals. This is most likely a knock-on effect of a higher mid-bass elevation.
Timbre-wise, the Cadmus Founder’s Edition has a slightly warmer timbre compared to the Orlog. Both the Orlog and Cadmus Founder’s Edition present treble in a similar manner by not coloring it too much and rather coming off as neutral.
Soundstage-wise, the Cadmus Founder’s Edition has similar width, but more depth compared to the Orlog. This leads to deeper layering, imaging, and separation of instruments and vocals especially within the mid-range.
Our Verdict
It is incredible to think how much of an impact a year makes when it comes to cable development and change within Effect Audio’s Signature series.
The addition of gold-plated copper and a change in cable geometry has done wonders for the original Cadmus and Cadmus 8W.
The Cadmus Founder’s Edition represents an excellent example of a well-rounded cable that packs a punch whilst impressively improving soundstage depth, imaging, and separation.
Effect Audio Cadmus Founder’s Edition Specifications
Cable Blend 1 (Cadmus):
- Selected Premium UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper Litz
- Septuplet Multi-sized Core Bundle
Cable Blend 2 (Custom Founder’s Blend):
- Selected Premium UP-OCC Gold Plated Copper
- Selected Premium UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper Litz
- Multi-Sized Stranding
Others
- Ergonomics Performance Optimization 24 AWG 8 Wires
- EA Ultra Flexi™ Insulation
- ConX™ Interchangeable Connector Ready with 2-Pin connector included
- TermX™ Basic Set Interchangeable Plug
