IEM Comparisons
I used a Cayin N6III with C201 motherboard in hi-gain mode with an assortment of IEMs to test the Totem. Here’s the Tidal playlist I use to evaluate audio gear.
Penon Turbo – 6xBA (USD $549)
The Turbo is one of my favourite IEMs for revealing upstream system changes, and as expected the Totem improves upon the stock cable’s performance substantially.
Vocals are much more forward, with improved dynamics, resolution & note weight across the board. Tonality shifts to become a little more v-shaped with more prominent treble.
Midbass is elevated substantially, the background is blacker, stage is deeper and imaging a little sharper. The resolution & dynamics improvements are the standout attributes but bass punch improves slightly to make that BA bass more satisfying.
TSMR SHOCK – 2xDD 4xBA 2xBCD (USD $599)
The story is similar for the SHOCKs, with improvements evident in most areas. Again resolution & dynamics are better, and the stage is deeper and even taller.
Everything feels faster as if the DDs themselves are more responsive, leaving the stock cable feeling bloated & wooly by comparison, but some of the stock warmth is stolen away as treble is accentuated.
The SHOCKs feel much sharper and better balanced on the Totem, challenging TOTL IEMs for technical performance though I don’t care for the slightly accentuated upper midrange.
MEST MKIII boast a shielded copper stock cable from PW Audio which sounds extremely warm. By contrast Totem again makes the stock cable feel wooly & vague as it did with the SHOCKs.
Surprisingly bass feels a little more impactful, but unsurprisingly the stage is deeper & wider, dynamics are better and resolution is up across the board, the background is also blacker & imaging more precise.
Tonality is slightly brighter yet vocals feel more spotlit & palpable, and Totem helps dissolve some of the vagueness of Mest’s BCD imaging.
Ice Lab Spectrumica – 1xDD 4xBA 1xBCD 2xEST (USD $1999)
I recently had the chance to demo Spectrumica, which boast an extremely impressive stock gold-plated copper stock cable. However again Totem yields substantial improvements.
The stage is deeper and more 3D with a blacker background, vocals come forward, imaging is sharper and instruments just feel more solid. There’s less warmth but the presentation feels snappier.
The stock cable feels smoother & more mid-centric, whereas Totem drives the technicalities to the fore and makes Spectrumica feel more precise, dissolving some of the BCD haze as it did with the Mests.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging, Ergonomics & Build Quality
Page 2 – Sound Impressions, Technical Performance & Tuning Plugs
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
Anybody who would pay thousands of dollars for a pair of interconnect audio cables of any type has more money than sense!!!!! A cable is not an active device so it will have no more action on an audio signal than a paperclip unless it is grossly deteriorated or you are trying to run really long runs with high impedance equipment. Wearing comfort is the only measurable property and that is totally subjective, People like you keep these modern “Snake Oil Salesmen” in business.
Total BS.
I made three RCA connector interconnect cables using RG6 coax one 4 feet long, one 6 feet long and one 8 feet long using 100% Belfoil shield. The 8 foot cable sounder more full with deeper bass than the 4 foot cable even though they all showed a good frequency sweep to over 500 Mhz.