Sound Impressions
I’ve used a Luxury & Precision P6 Pro HK Edition in hi-gain mode with an assortment of IEMs to test the Pyramid 8W. Here’s the Tidal playlist I use to evaluate audio gear.
Pyramid is an 8 wire Type 9 litz cable with a monstrous 1176 cores, built from gold-copper alloy, pure silver, silver plated copper-silver alloy, silver plated single crystal copper & high-purity Furukawa copper.
Bass
Let’s begin with Pyramid 8W’s weakest aspect. Many huge, behemoth cables have a pronounced impact on bass performance which has traditionally been a difficult area for smaller cables to improve.
There is some bass enhancement here, which leans towards enriching sub bass with slightly improved texture and slam but compared to cables of similar sizes I was hoping for a less subtle improvement.
This is not to say bass feels neutral with the Pyramid 8W or that quantity is lacking, but for some reason I find my attention being drawn towards other frequencies more.
Midrange
When I reviewed the original Pyramid 4W I was impressed by its’ agreeable tonality, which is also the case with the 8 wire version.
There’s a slight lower midrange emphasis that manifests as additional smoothness & liquidity to vocals in particular, but interestingly at the same time vocals also gain a substantial amount of added articulation.
It’s almost as if transients are slightly softened, yet can be perceived with additional clarity, which engenders a feeling of sophistication & refinement.
Treble
If you’re worried Pyramid may be a bright cable you can relax. There is a tastefully small degree of treble enhancement, but none of the ringing or etched sound silver-plated cables are often guilty of.
Pyramid is terrific for fostering treble notes with a more weight & body, whilst making them more incisive.
Though the cable’s overall tonality is smooth & refined, that slight treble sheen allows it to feel more neutral overall, and probably also aids the 8W version’s big selling point – technical performance.
Technical Performance
Beginning with one of its’ most impressive elements, Pyramid 8W expands the soundstage massively in all directions. The stage is somewhat oval shaped, width isn’t outrageous but height & especially depth are fantastic. It feels like the cable is wrapping the soundstage further around one’s skull, covering the forehead, stretching behind the ears and under the chin.
Background blackness is also superb, reminiscent of high-end shielded cables like those from PW Audio. When coupled with the large stage dimensions, this enhances imaging greatly and allows instruments to be isolated in their own pockets of space quite effectively, better than any Penon cable thus far.
The other benefit of a black background is Pyramid creating the impression of greater resolution, as instruments are so much easier to delineate from those around them. The amount of detail retrieval is up there with cables worth thousands of dollars, to the point that nuances are painted with enhanced contrast almost as effectively as adding an amp to your portable chain.
Note weight is quite good though bass notes seem to benefit more, perhaps indicative of the cable emphasising sub bass over midbass. Finally, dynamics are absolutely jaw dropping – especially combined with the black background, painting a very high contrast picture of everything you hear.
Pyramid 4W vs 8W Comparison
So how does the Pyramid 8 Wire version compare to its’ smaller 4 wire sibling? Immediately apparent is the 8W cable lacks Heiroglyphics-themed hardware which makes the 4W version look more unique. Then there’s the differences in weight & price – 4W clocks in at USD $349 and weighs 50 grams, whereas the 8W is USD $499 & 84 grams.
Ergonomically the differences are substantial. The 4W feels like a slightly heavy “normal” IEM cable, it’s extremely soft & flexible and I don’t even notice I’m using it most of the time. By contrast the 8W is very big, thick and heavy and though I don’t find it uncomfortable, rarely do I forget it’s around my neck.
Sonically, 8W has much better dynamics, a way deeper & slightly taller stage, sounds slightly louder, with substantially higher resolution. For some reason bass quantity feels higher with the 4W version, in that it stands out from other frequencies more, however bass tactility and particularly decay feels more satisfying with the 8W. Dynamics & resolution in particular jump massively with the 8W version.
Overall tonality is extremely similar, so purchasing the extra wires does feel like you’re getting an enhanced version of the same cable, rather than one I feared might better in some areas but weaker in others. Based solely on performance I would unhesitatingly opt for the 8W and would only choose the 4W for long journeys in noisy environments where having less weight around my neck takes priority.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging, Ergonomics & Build Quality
Page 2 – Sound Impressions, Technical Performance & Pyramid 4W vs 8W Comparison
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
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