Tour: Eletech Cables

The best part of managing tours is getting to hear all the great gear for myself. All these great cables are hybrid type 4 Litz and have been CRYO’D, and I must say…they are beautiful!

Here are some brief impressions from what I have heard so far between the tasks required to set up this tour:

• Iliad: 24AWG, CRYO, Flawless Monocrystal Silver & Palladium Plated Silver & Gold-Silver Alloy ($1799)
  >>>Early Impressions: An “oh my god” experience when powered correctly and on a scaling CIEM. My M5 and Thummim both are driven to another level with this cable. The volume feels like it has been raised 15 percent due to the increased dynamics and detail that these cables pump out. There is a rich euphoric tube-like sense when listening to these that put you in another world where you are drawn into the music. While the Thummim sounds wonderful with the Eletech Plato, the Illiad takes it to another level…if you pay the money for the Thummim, then go the extra and pair it with the Iliad. The M5 gets a more grown-up appeal to the music with more fleshed out treble and soundstage that is outstanding. The Sony WM1a sounds wonderful with these two pairings, but when I step up to the Burson C3R, wow both these CIEMs are in the exotic range sounding better than most full-sized exotic headphones that cost much more and require a much more expensive system. The C3R > Iliad > Thummim/M5 pairing is out of this world.
• Plato: 24AWG, CRYO, Flawless Monocrystal Bespoke Silver ($999)
  >>>Early Impressions: Through the Sony WM1a, the M5 takes on a new life vs. its stock cable. The silver brings the treble to life as expected and brings more detail to the M5’s big bass. The M5 seems more balanced through the Plato. The Thummim has Plato for its stock cable for many of the same reasons that it pairs well with the M5. The Plato scales well with the C3R offering more details and bigger more defined bass. Plato offers more treble presence for the M5 as well as adding air to enlarge the sound stage.
• Socrates (Brand New): 24AWG, CRYO, Flawless Monocrystal Bespoke 7N OCC Copper ($699)
  >>>Early Impressions: The Socrates is a warmer,  more euphonic experience. The bass feels more relaxed and the treble is smoothed a bit offering a more romantic emotional experience. The voices sound just right and more intimate. Female singers feel like they are sitting in your lap singing sweet nothings in your ear while kissing your neck. This is a very impressive experience that I am enjoying very much. The Socrates brings the mids to life. This is the best I have heard the M5 sound. Taking my game up with the C3R, I get deep in the chest bass to die for and a rich thick ambiance that is mind-altering. Moving to the Thummim, I am treated to a mid centric experience on my Sony. There is a richness and intimacy that is very appealing and pleasant. This is a much more relaxed Thummim that focuses on natural and emotional. Stepping up to the C3R, the Thummim is awesome with the Socrates. There is a whole new feel to the sound. That in the chest bass with the forward mids exudes a warm natural tube sound like you can only find at the high-end audio shows from 6-figure systems. I am going to have to think more about whether I go to Socrates from Plato for my Thummim…this is going to take some thinking. In fact, I am going to do a full review of Socrates to get my thoughts straight.
• Prudence: 26AWG, CRYO, Flawless Silver plated Copper ($249)
  >>>Early Impressions: It is easy to mistake the Prudence for the more expensive Iliad or Plato cables at a quick glance as they are incredibly beautiful and rich-looking. The performance is not quite up into the stratosphere like its more expensive brethren, but the performance is still impressive at this price point. The treble is a little rawer through the WM1a as would be expected and the bass is not quite as full, but in the case of the M5, it is quite a step up from the stock cable. However, when moving to the C3R, the additional power drives these cables considerably further regaining a much fuller bass, and the treble smooths out considerably. Given the Eletech Plato being the stock cable for the Thummim, there is no point in going for the Prudence in this case.
• Fortitude: 26AWG, CRYO, Flawless Copper ($199)
  >>>Early Impressions: At the bottom of the price tier, if you don’t expect a lot from Eletech, you are wrong. The Fortitude is a powerhouse packed with performance. Like the Iliad, there is a sense that the volume has been turned up with this cable. The bass on the M5 through the Sony actually feels tighter, quicker, and more defined. The treble also has an appealing heft to it that sounds natural. While not as refined as the Iliad or the rest of Eletech’s top tier, this is a fun treble that brings new imagery to your music. While the Burson again lifts the Fortitude performance, the Fortitude is not lifted quite as much as the rest of the lineup. The bass seems the lightest on this cable even though it is copper, and surprisingly, it is the treble that is the star of the show. The treble makes me want to hear more of my library as it is a wonderful enhancement that brings new details to light.