Effect Audio Ares 10's Review

 

General Info/Build

Effect Audio is a prominent and highly respected brand that I believe most individuals immersed in the audiophile hobby are intimately aware of. The brand’s extensive offerings comfortably span from highly accessible budget ranges all the way up to top-of-the-line, ultra-high-end summit-fi offerings.

Today, I am looking at an incredibly special, the latest monumental offering to mark the 10th anniversary of their popular Ares series, representing the sixth generation of the lineup, simply known as the Ares 10.

What is so special about the Ares 10, as the name suggests is a 10-wire construction, it is also the first cable that features gold plating for a pure all copper wire, these two combinations feature a unique sonic experience.

Build quality of the Ares 10 is solid, it is hefty and weighty but certainly not stiff and retains memory, this should not come as a surprise if you’re familiar with premium cables, not to mention this is a 10 wire cable. The splitter’s design is also a special anniversary design.

The cable comes equipped with ConX two-pin termination system, and the plug comes permanently terminated with a 4.4mm balanced jack—or whatever termination option you specifically choose if you happen to purchase directly from Effect Audio

Cable’s Specifications (copied from product page)

Spec: 26AWG  10 Wires                        

Smelting Process: UP-OCC

Sleeve: EA UltraFlexi™ Insulation

Length: 120cm ± 5cm

Material & Structure: 

- Soul Blend Gold Copper Alloy

- Organic Timbre Pure Copper

- Tri-Strata Copper Architecture™

- Multi-sized Core Bundles

Connection System:

ConX ®️2-pin (Default)

EA Standard Rhodium Plated Brass Straight Type

Gears used for this impression

• Earmen Angel

• Nipo A100

• Spirit Torino Twin Pulse IEM

• Thieaudio Hype 4 MK2

Foreword

My impression is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way, but rather a purely subjective approach. Do take into careful consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is uniquely different and not exactly the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might naturally be quite different as well from person to person, but I truly believe my overarching findings will not stray too far

Sound Impressions

The sound impressions are based on a thorough listening experience, comparing the IEM’s stock cables against Effect Audio’s offerings.

The primary reason for choosing to go with the Earmen Angel as a source is because it is fairly neutral and entirely uncolored, hence I am easily able to pick up on the subtle and major differences imparted by the cables

If you inherently love the traditional sound of copper cables, you will be deeply enamored with the Ares 10. The overarching sound profile is designed to proudly impart an incredibly warmly musical presentation, doing so masterfully without sacrificing the core elements of underlying technicality.

Because the cable has a gold element completely encased into the all-copper foundation, it offers a buttery smooth tonality and incredibly pleasing timbre, particularly when it comes to mid-range performance.

The mid-range is undeniably the absolute star of the show. If you love a decidedly thick, unapologetically dense, and highly forward-sounding mid-range, this cable delivers it in spades.

Vocal performances are dramatically enhanced to my ears. The buttery smooth nature of the gold-plated copper provides incredible weight to female vocals—especially those in the contralto range—as well as male vocals, giving baritone performances a stunningly rich, chesty, and lifelike resonance.

The technical performance in my opinion is very good as well, imaging is somehow enhanced as well as the soundstage.

IEM Pairings

Spirit Torino Twin Pulse IEM

• The Twin Pulse IEM itself is already a beautifully neutral-warm set of IEMs out of the box

• When paired with the monumentally warm and buttery smooth Ares 10, the entire soundscape transforms into an expansively lush and heavily analog-sounding presentation

• The bass frequency, which normally gains a little bit more body with premium cables, becomes remarkably full, thick, and authoritative thanks to the Ares 10's 10-wire copper structure

• The mid-range, heavily targeted by the Ares 10's special gold-over-copper construction, becomes the undeniable star of the show

• Vocals are pushed incredibly forward, wrapping the listener in a dense and musical embrace

• When listening to Na Ying’s vocal performance in Just Like a Dream (梦一场), her voice sounds exceptionally full, dense, and overwhelmingly sweet, the buttery smooth tonality of the Ares 10 makes her performance highly pleasant and utterly addictive to listen to

• With Elton John’s Tears in Heaven Live, the Ares 10 heavily flatters his baritone range

• The vocal presentation gains a phenomenally good weight to it; it becomes exceptionally thick, chesty, and full-sounding

• All the background instruments within the mid-range vividly come alive, brimming with a warm musicality that is simply amazing to experience

Thieaudio Hype 4 MK 2

• The listening experience with the Hype 4 MK2 is totally and completely different when comparing its stock cable to the heavyweight Ares 10

• The Hype 4 naturally exhibits a very slightly metallic timbre out of the box, however, the Ares 10’s sound profile is able to mask this metallic edge
  The buttery smooth nature of the cable smothers any harshness, providing a highly lush, organic, and beautifully rounded presentation

• The mid-range stands out prominently, especially the vocal, dense and lush

• The extension on the lows and treble feels distinctly enhanced, but with a wonderfully warm twist

• Guitar picking lingers beautifully, sounding tremendously full with exceptionally good note weight

• Cymbals and high hats completely lose any splashiness; instead, they are presented with a heavy, substantial note weight that is wholly pleasing to the ear and incredibly relaxing

• Imaging is pin point accurate, the instruments are well separated and it can be clearly heard from any direction

Comparison (Dionysus)

Build and Construction

• The physical differences between these two exceptional Effect Audio cables are immediately apparent. The Ares 10 is built on a massive 26-gauge, 10-wire all-copper foundation layered with gold plating

• The Dionysus is an all-black cable that utilizes a Silver Plated Copper (SPC) construction alongside gold plating

Sound Signature

• Sonically, these two sit on entirely different ends of the spectrum. The Ares 10 heavily prioritizes intense musicality, boasting the warmest sound among its peers

• It delivers a buttery smooth, incredibly thick, dense, and distinctly forward mid-range that is purely designed to flatter vocals and instruments with rich tonality

Technicality vs. Musicality

• The Dionysus, conversely, is highly popular because it offers a very linear coloration throughout the entire frequency range

• While the Ares 10 smothers the listener in lush warmth, the Dionysus provides brilliant technical precision, It is highly resolving, picking up incredible micro-details,It sounds very airy with an exceptionally fast transient speed, and noticeably improves upon the overall soundstage, this is not to say the Ares 10’s technicality is bad, it is just not the sound profile that Ares 10 is going for

Pairing Recommendations 

• The Ares 10 is the ultimate choice for injecting lush warmth into neutral or bright IEMs, the Dionysus on the other hand  is recommended for adding a little energy, yet completely non-offensive technicalities to your gear, while it does have a little “warmth magic” from the gold plating, i’d say the positioning of Dionysus will be in between Ares 10, for those who doesn’t want too much warmth while still wanting some energy for their gears, Ares 10 is for those who values richness, musicality without sacrificing too much in terms of technicalities

Final Thoughts

Having had the opportunity to spend quite some time with the Ares 10 and the Dionysis, it is clear that both cables offer a different listening experience.

If you are an audiophile who intrinsically prefers musicality rather than pure analytical technicalities, the Ares 10 is an absolute revelation, thick vocal density, great bass extension and control as well as lush analog tonality that surpasses even Code 23 in my opinion.

It is undeniably the greatest iteration of the Ares lineup that I have tried. Conversely, if you prefer a linear, highly technical, airy, and resolving soundstage, the Dionysus remains a spectacular choice, if you have the budget and know your preferred sound signature, you absolutely won’t go wrong with either. For lovers of thick, forward, and unashamedly warm mid-ranges, the Ares 10 is highly recommended!

*A big thanks to Effect Audio for the opportunity to test out the cables. All thoughts are of my own and I am not in any way influenced to produce this article.

Official Store Link
EA Ares 10