Synergy
The Eros S is best suited with IEMs which have a neutral sound signature with a slight bass emphasis as it takes all sound frequencies and improves them exponentially.
Mangird Xenns Up
The Xenns Up IEM houses 1 dynamic driver, 4 balanced armatures, and 2 electrostatic drivers. By default, it has a bold bass, forward midrange, and neutral treble presentation.
The Xenns Up does not focus too much on the sub-bass but rather on the mid-bass. It comes off with a warm timbre, wide soundstage, and fantastic imaging capabilities. But how does the Eros S pair with the Xenns Up?
Well, it takes all those points just mentioned and cranks it up a notch. However, the pairing also dials back the warm timbre and injects a fresh dose of transparency and smoothness into the midrange.
The overall tonality becomes more organic. Female and high-pitched male vocals sound smooth and natural. The bass becomes tighter, punchier, and more controlled.
Treble moves from neutral to slightly bright with very good extension and detail. The soundstage becomes more spacious both in height and width coupled with improved layering and imaging.
Empire Ears Legend EVO
The Empire Ears Legend EVO is a bass heavyweight. With two W9+ subwoofer dynamic drivers, it is one of the top-of-the-line bass-focused IEMs currently available on the market.
Under its stock setup, the Legend EVO’s sub-bass extends to previously unknown depths with enormous rumble and reverberation. The bass slams hard and it is meticulously textured in every aspect.
Despite all of this, the midrange is smooth, transparent, and highly resolving. The treble on the Legend EVO is where it pulls things back a bit and comes off as neutral sounding with adequate levels of detail.
The Eros S turns the Legend EVO into a more controlled, bass-focused IEM. The sub-bass still digs deep with sufficient rumble, however, the depth and extension are reduced.
Instead, the Eros S focuses more on the bass quality, texture, and punch. The bass retains its bold character where its texture and quality are still excellent, however, it becomes punchier with more control.
Bass heads will still be able to appreciate the Legend EVO and Eros S pairing as it allows the Legend EVO to show off its versatility in handling sub-bass and bass frequencies.
The Eros S retains all the original goodness of the lower midrange on the Legend EVO however it brought the upper mid-range slightly forward. Whilst the treble follows a similar trend where it becomes brighter but not to the extent where it became sibilant or too crisp.
Reference Example
For example, whilst hearing “ONE OK ROCK – Listen”, I like to perform what I refer to as “the S test”. Within the chorus, the word “Listen” is sung where an emphasis on the S syllable is made. The harsher the S sounds, the crisper or more sibilant the upper-mids or treble becomes.
During testing, the male singer’s pronunciation of the “S” syllable in the word “listen” during the chorus becomes more distinct and edgier but not to the extent that it became sibilant or too harsh.
The soundstage was still very wide and tall however it did feel slightly narrower compared to its stock cable. The imaging and layer were still excellent.
Select Comparisons
All comparisons made were completed using the Empire Ears EVO and the Xenns Up paired with the Cayin N8ii DAP as the source.
Effect Audio Ares S
$179
Technical
The Effect Audio Ares S is a Premium UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz cable and it is the first of the three cables within the Signature Series. The underlying materials are different as the Ares S uses pure copper only whereas the Eros S uses both Pure Copper and Pure Silver.
The Ares S features a 4-wire 24 AWG configuration and houses a dual geometric design which is different from the Eros S’ 8 wire, 26 AWG, 7-core multi-sized core bundle.
Design
The Ares S is a 4 wire 24 AWG cable sporting a bright copper color with a clear PVC jacket. Apart from the color, the second most obvious difference in design is that the Eros S has a softer, matte-like texture feeling to it as opposed to the Ares S’ plastic and shiny finish.
Furthermore, the additional thickness for each wire makes the Ares S less supple and flexible compared to the Eros S however it sits just as well on the ear during use. To put it simply, the Eros S feels like a softer, matte-finished cable whereas the Ares S is a sturdier cable with a plastic finish.
The plugs, termination case, splitter, cable slider, and connectors are made from the same materials with no difference. The Ares S features the same ConX features as the Eros S where the connectors are interchangeable.
Performance
On both IEMs being tested, the sub-bass digs deeper and the bass is bolder with more slam. The bass becomes more prevalent and as a result, comes off as slow to decay and less controlled compared to the Eros S.
The lower mid-range on the Ares S is slightly more forward and has a very good level of detail and resolution, however, it is a slight step down compared to the Eros S.
Timbre is warmer on the Ares S with a neutral treble presence so it is not as bright on the Ares S when compared to the sparkier energy from the Eros S top-end. Overall, you get a better sense of high-frequency extension and detail from the Eros S.
The soundstage on the Ares S is generally quite wide. However, compared to the Eros S, it is narrower and not as airy resulting in a comparatively intimate performance from our test IEMs.
The layering and imaging capabilities on the Ares S are very good. However, the Eros S has the edge here with the more spacious soundstage a significant factor.
Effect Audio Cadmus
$199
Technical
The Effect Audio Cadmus is a Premium UP-OCC Silver Plated Copper Litz cable and it is the second of the three cables within the Signature Series. The underlying materials are different as the Cadmus uses silver-plated copper whereas the Eros S uses both Pure Copper and Pure Silver.
The Cadmus features a 4-wire 24 AWG configuration and features a dual geometric design which is different from the Eros S’ 8 wire, 26 AWG, 7-core multi-sized core bundle.
Design
The Cadmus aesthetic is a bright silver color coming from that clear PVC jacket. The Eros S has a softer, matte-like texture feeling to it as opposed to the Cadmus plastic and shiny finish.
Furthermore, the additional thickness for each wire makes the Cadmus less supple and flexible compared to the Eros S however it sits just as well on the ear during use.
All plugs, the termination case, splitter, cable slider, and connectors are made from the same materials with no discernable finishing difference. The Cadmus features the same ConX features as the Ares S and Eros S so the connectors are all interchangeable.
Performance
The most distinct differences between these two cables are in relation to the sub-bass, bass, treble, and soundstage.
For the Cadmus, its sub-bass extends deeper with more rumble compared to the Eros S which is pulled back. I find the bass on the Cadmus similar to the Ares S where it is bolder, has more slam, and is slower on the decay with our IEMs compared to the Eros S.
Although there is more bass quantity on the Cadmus, the bass texture between the two cables is similar with perhaps the slightly better control coming from the Eros S.
The lower midrange of the Cadmus is more forward sounding but delivered with the same amount of detail and smoothness.
You will find the treble on the Cadmus north of neutral however it is not as bright. I do find the Eros S treble to reveal superior detail and texture when compared to the Cadmus.
The Cadmus soundstage is fairly wide and tall but will seem narrower when compared to the roomier Eros S staging capability on the EVO and Xenns Up.
Imaging and layering are better on the Eros S where instruments and vocals have better overall placement and spacing. This is due to the fact that they are able to take advantage of the extended soundstage.
Satin Audio Kraken III X8
$450
Technical
The Satin Audio Kraken III X8 (“Kraken III X8”) is a superior pure OCC copper, silver, and silver-plated copper hybrid cable. It features 8 wires with a gauge thickness of 26AWG. The Kraken III X8 houses the Satin Special Structure II which is a unique Litz structure from Satin Audio.
Compared to the Eros S, the materials mix differs slightly with the Kraken III X8 using silver-plated copper in addition to just pure copper and silver which is the basis for the Eros S.
Design
The Kraken III X8 8-wire aesthetics are a mix of 4 silver and 4 copper wires so they have this two-tone striped appearance under the PVC cable. The PVC material has a shiny and smooth texture whereas the Eros S has a matte-like texture more pearl grey in color.
Both cables have a braided finish with enough tension and do not have any unwanted gaps. The Kraken III X8 comes with standard silver-colored Satin Audio terminations, splitter, connectors, and cable slider.
Performance
Both the Kraken III X8 and the Eros S enhance similar aspects of sound, namely the bass, midrange, and soundstage.
The sub-bass and bass on the Kraken III X8 have more depth and slam compared to the Eros S which focuses on bass control and texture. The Kraken III X8 deviates toward more quantity and weight.
Within the midrange, the quality and resolution from both cables are very high with vocals and instruments presented effortlessly.
The Kraken III X8 has more body and weight to the lower midrange and a timbre with less warmth. It is also slightly brighter and edgier at times though both cables do not lead to any sibilance or harshness.
Soundstage-wise, the Kraken III X8 is slightly wider in both height and width though I found the layering and imaging between the two cables were similar on our test IEMs.
Our Verdict
The Effect Audio Eros S is an excellent hybrid copper and silver Litz IEM cable. From the soft and supple design, all the way to its smooth and lush midrange, excellent imaging and layering capabilities, it performed impressively with both our tested IEMs.
Priced at $299, this is highly competitive when compared to alternatives in the market at around the same price. Effect Audio’s pursuit of high-quality sound, material, and design is properly reflected and presented here.
If the Signature Series is to be remembered for one thing, it is that the team at Effect Audio was able to deliver a memorable high-performance flagship cable.
Effect Audio Eros S Specifications
- Wires: 8-wire
- Materials: UP OCC Pure Silver and Pure Copper Litz Hybrid
- AWG: 26 AWG
- Geometry: Septuplet Multi-Sized Core Bundle
- Length: 1.2m
