Cable Comparisons
I tested the SHOCKs with a number of aftermarket cables to gauge how impressively they scale.
Effect Audio Ares S 4 Wire (USD $179)
Ares S demonstrates similar stage dimensions to the stock cable with perhaps a touch more depth, dynamics improve and vocals shift forward with a blacker background.
It’s a decent pairing which sounds a bit cleaner though tonality is fairly similar to the stock cable, with brightness shifting up a small notch.
Penon ASOS+ (USD $215)
Staging is definitely wider, bass impact is a little deeper & more satisfying, and instrument separation is slightly improved.
Sadly tonality shifts towards emphasising the upper midrange & higher frequencies more which I don’t particularly care for, and I’m not sure the technical improvements make up for it.
Penon Renata (USD $269)
Dynamics are improved, the background is appreciably blacker and instrument separation is better. I even notice a small uptick in resolution.
Staging feels more expansive perhaps aided by that blacker background even though dimensions don’t change much, generally it feels like instruments take a step back from the listener.
It’s a good pairing, but one that struggles to justify the price of the upgrade – a trend across all cables I tested, which speaks for the impressive quality of the stock cable.
NiceHCK DragonScale 2 (USD $299)
No bass improvement here, but staging does feel wider lending a feeling that instruments have more room to breathe, and there’s a stronger perception of resolution too.
Both imaging & dynamics are improved, overall creating a slightly cleaner picture that alleviates some of the SHOCKs’ midbass bloat in this decent pairing.
Effect Audio Code 24 (USD $799)
I couldn’t resist trying this combination despite Code 24 being priced higher than the SHOCKs!
Staging is much deeper, with a substantially blacker background and sharper imaging that are very impressive. Overall the stage feels much more circular with vocals in particular spotlit much better against other instruments.
Note wight drops slightly and tonality is a little brighter & thinner, but those technical improvements are quite substantial in this a terrific pairing, that nonetheless struggles to fully justifies its’ cost.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging & Ergonomics
Page 2 – Sound Impressions, Technical Performance & Tuning Knobs
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
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