Disclaimer: If you are absolutely sure that cables make no change to the system and no matter how much it evolves, it won’t change this fact on measurement and in this case, you can just go head and ignore my review; However, if you still believe in the possibility of what it can do to audio chain, you might be in right place to consider the product below.

Personal experience:

Cables improving and altering the sound in the audio system has always been a subjective topic with countless of arguments and debates in audio world. From my personal experiences, having owned several expensive cables from different manufacturers, I have come to realize that cables, in fact, do alter and even improve the sound of the system to certain degrees. When talking about cables, I don’t usually buy into expensive cables that’s advertised being made purely of gold with splashy looks etc. Some even say that gold or silver cables could provide better sound quality against copper ones. What people actually ignore here in my opinion is that it’s all about the techniques and the methods being used in combined with carefully selected material behind making those cables. Comparing 2 similar-looking silver cables from different price tags and manufacturers will tell you that they won’t sound the same. Nevertheless, I have seen people arguing on lab measurement proving that cable understand this someone else’s perspective when they have limit chances to get to try the better cables out there and only being surrounded by “snake oil” products around, but not because of that we should be generalizing all the products and based everything on theory and measurement only without any actual experiences. Yes, they do make sense on papers but I just enjoy being an audio enthusiast using my actual sense to experience them first for now, it’s more rewarding and interesting, just my two cents.


Moving onto the product, Cable + is a new product line which Burson advertised with “no snake oil” but a cable with “proper engineering”. There are few different types Cable + being sold with mine being the RCA version, one of the others can also be used with portable devices terminated with 3.5mm. There is an explanation behind the technology being used on their webpage and in fact, I don’t usually trust those without actual experiences; however, I was being proven wrong and that’s for later parts. In few lines below I will do my best to summarize.




According to Burson, every single piece of audio equipment unless were being manufactured in the same facility from the same company in case all of the devices were designed to match with each other in output and input, they would all possess what’s known as “mismatched impedance”. This problem could be found in any audio chain with amplifiers, sources and speakers alike where each of them might not match each other in connection and this could lead to different sound impressions when switching to different source, amplifier or speaker. Understanding this, Burson began creating this Cable+ with the little regulator module attached to solve the problem in case making it more of an impedance regulator than just a conventional cable.



Accessories:

The cable comes in with a clear plastic square case, the case is durable enough to hold it without fails, not a premium looking package but compact enough and more importantly it just does the job well. A generic wall charger as well as micro usb cable are included in the package as required to power the cable.

Build Quality:

Nothing too fancy here but a normal looking cable. It’s covered with a common black rubber-plastic mixed sleeve that you can normally find on any stock AC power cable. It’s thick enough to give a good durability and also has a good flexibility without being too stiff. On the other hands, RCA connectors are covered with glossy metal barrels which actually give the cable a more premium touch easily distinguished from any generic RCA cables. The thing that stands out most and quite special about this cable is actually the metal box where this impedance regulator resides; it seems to be well-protected inside with thick metal casing.



Operation:

This cable requires directional input and output meaning you have to connect the input and output in a certain direction between the source and the amplifier as there is no reverse. To make it easy to navigate, there are markings on the main regulator device where both side of cable exit. Simply put, the correct way to connect is: Input > source, output > amplifier or powered speaker. In order for the cable to function, it needs to be powered properly with micro usb. Without supply, the cable can’t simply be used at all even passively. Luckily, this cable doesn’t require the hefty voltage to power it, just simply connect it to any USB hub or computer will make it work normally.



Testing and Sound Impression:

I let the cable run for about 100 hours before writing this impression. It was tested on Schiit Valhalla amp, Auralic Taurus mk2 amp and Schiit Gumby all connected with the Cable + on Single-ended (SE).

I was completely startled for a minute or two switching from the stock generic RCA cable to Cable +. There were a noticeable improvement in overall in frequency responses and more importantly, the noise is significantly reduced leaving only the much clearer sound. While the jump is not considered huge or massive (your few hundred system won’t be the thousand one) but it was still large enough to give the wow effect to any listeners for the first time.

From top to bottom, everything just become clearer and more natural. There was an added openness to the stage forming a broader sense of space with more layers. Instrument separation was highly improved and also finest sense were added to the details making them easily pop out.

Bass region gained more definitions, more articulated and even tighter while the vocal became clearer with a more natural and pleasant tone. The upper mid seems to be a bit brighter but even so it’s still not harsh at all thus even feel more organic and extended. In the treble region, the similar story happened when this region became clearer, cleaner and more natural sounding. With the treble improved, I could easily hear more nuances in recording compared to before and it’s done so in effortless manner.

One thing I have to mention during this test is that not only the cable managed to improve the overall sound but it actually transformed the output of the system with identical performance to that of the balance output as there were no audible differences between them and only when switching back to the stock RCA the balance mode truly just left the SE behind in volume and sound quality. This finding might be the instant buy factor to someone who doesn’t go balance on their audio chain and would prefer to stick with the SE because the cable + just does an outstanding job of matching performance even on SE mode, unexpectedly.


Final words:

Cable + is one of most outstanding cable products I have ever come across. Whereas conventional cables rely on high-quality conductors, better solder, better shielding and carefully selected materials to give better improvement to the sound, Cable + uses a totally different approach where technology and proper engineering are integrated to solve mismatch problem in audio chain, the result was simply spectacular. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for proper solution in connecting their equipment. So far, the price is well reasonable enough and the performance I have heard worth many times than it should be. There is a more expensive version of this cable also being sold which seems be a better version and for how much I can’t confirm now until getting my hands on but there Is one thing for sure I can’t go back choosing conventional options from now, seriously.

I would like to thank Emil and Bara for arranging the tour allowing me to experience some of the great IEM products on the market and one of them being one of the best I have ever heard in this price range and well beyond - Aether.

INTRO:

Lime Ears Aether is a 5-BA drivers IEM (1 super low, 2 low, 1 mid, 1 high) with Crossover 4-way crossover design. I have learned from my journey in the audio world that Driver-count just doesn’t matter, what matters is how well you tune those drivers and this example could be vividly seen with Hum Pristine. In a few words, I would describe Aether as having the very natural timbre if not most, rich, smoothly done from top to bottom, resolving yet still being so musical without sounding thick nor thin.
In fact, it’s an all-rounder IEM and the tuning has got to be the most balance out of any IEMs I have ever heard. As said, this special signature of Aether reminds me of Mr. Speaker Ether Flow but Aether doesn't sound as diffused as the Ether hp , they are both well balanced and seemingly no compromises.

The following review will be done on pairing with Sony NW-WM1A on Single-ended with universal-fit of Aether. The review will be based upon my opinion of the demo, it might be subjective to some people because we all have different hearing and taste.




Low: Aether has a very neutral type of bass which is tight, fast, well-textured and provides sufficient amount when needed without ever being bassy or too articulated. The sub-bass while not having the same quality as DD type but actually leaning toward it. It rumbles well, has good texture and hits really deep which is the best part of it. Despite having a BA-type driver, the bass is really impressive and satisfying to most people and I actually ended up never using the bass-boost switch. Bass on Aether also doesn’t bleed into other frequencies even when the bass-boost switch is up. For the switch, when up, it makes the sub-bass become a lot more powerful, the signature becomes a bit of V-shape with treble becoming more sparkling.

Mid: The vocal on Aether is neutral and has a very natural tone with a bit of warmth to it. It’s neither laid back nor forward, neither thick nor thin, it pronounces exactly what and where the singer sings in space without coloring the sound. Because of the natural tone, the string instruments and every note ring full and true to life on Aether. The upper mid is well-extended and very forgiving, it never sounds harsh nor bright or tends to sibilance with many bright and poor recordings.

High: The treble on Aether is my favorite part of the entire spectrum, just euphonic. It’s a perfect kind of treble which is well extended, possesses the airiness that goes between layers (Aether possesses this tremendous depth, more on next part) that none other in this price range has and yet it’s accurate. It has no peaks or glares from top to bottom but being smooth and non-fatiguing without ever being bright or dull; also It has a good amount of micro details presented in a very natural manner instead of shoving into the face. The resolution and technical performance are overall high and top-notch in this specific price range and in fact, beats those with higher price tags such as Encore and Katana.

Soundstage and Imaging: To paint the picture, try to imagine yourself in a room listening to a pair of high-end loudspeakers because that is the philosophy to which Aether was being tuned (Can’t remember to which model it was being tuned). The room would have an average size of width, not big and that would be the width of Aether. In this specific space, you will hear every note and position of each instrument with distinct separation between them. This room in fact also has a good height where the sound would travel up top above your head and also well below. From this picture, it could be seen that Aether possesses an average size of width hence the soundstage will not be your last cup of tea but the sense of depth is among the top.


COMPARISON:

Hum Pristine Reference (PR): Being my daily driver since September, Hum Pristine is a direct upgrade to my previous JH13 Freqphase. It has the resolution and technical performance that rivals Zeus XR despite having only 2 drivers. Hum Pristine has an absolute build quality from top to bottom with internal wirings and components including premium-quality stock cable and premium MMCX connector (brand exclusive).
Both have a neutral presentation but they represent the sound in very different ways. Being a reference monitor, PR is extremely accurate, brighter, thinner and brutally revealing. PR shoves out details in an aggressive manner (similar to that of JH13) unlike Aether presents the detail in very smooth and natural way. Through certain periods of time, I have found PR to be very dependent on source and track, it will tell you exactly what’s on the track without mercy whereas Aether is an all-rounder very forgiving, trying to make everything sound as much natural as possible. In fact, PR has higher resolution and reveals more micro details but at the cost of sounding harsh, thin, dry and lifeless compared to Aether. Bass on Aether has subwoofer-like quality (even with bass boost off) where Pristine has a tighter, more articulate bass with a touch of warmth and good impact. Both has a satisfying amount of bass leaning toward the Dynamic-driver type of bass though I prefer the bass on Aether. Mid on PR is slightly more forward, the upper mid is bright, revealing and become fatiguing sometimes with bad recording not as natural and forgiving as Aether. Both have a great treble extension but Aether extends further and more natural. Soundstage wise, PR has wider stage while Aether has better depth, I found PR staging is similar to that of HD800 due to its being tuned as a Reference monitor, and the separation is better and more spatially accurate. Deciding factor would be for which purpose you would use it, I would pick Aether over Pristine for daily use since I have a large variety of music from different quality and genres.

AAW W500 Ahmorph (middle tuning): AAW used-to-be flagship appears to have best bass quality out of any current IEMs I have ever heard (though it might be surpassed by the new W900). The bass on W500 just hits very deep, highly textured, tight and impactful like a hammer. It clearly beats the bass on Aether hands down. Staging on W500 is wider and has similar depth to Aether. From this point, everything else from Mid to Treble, Aether is just miles better with more natural presentation and higher resolution than W500. One thing I didn’t like about W500 was the sense of muddiness in treble and its upper mid tend to sibilance and peaky on certain tracks.

Noble K10: The impression was made on demo units and was demoed many times during the past 2 years but please still take this as a bag of salt. As you know, Noble K10 was sparking quite a fame in US audiophile community for a few years back. I already had many chances to compare it to JH13 Freqphase which was my daily driver but couldn’t find it to resolve better than JH13 to justify the cost of switching over. Though I have to admit K10 to be thick, musical, pleasant sounding monitor with very emotive vocal (the best part of this IEM). Compared to K10, I found Aether to have better technical performance while still retaining musicality, has an overall higher resolution, more resolving, better separation of the instrument and much more spatially accurate. Aether also has a more natural presentation without being thick or congested. The staging on Aether is wider, airy and has a better sense of depth. The treble of Aether is more extended, more natural and has better definition. The mid on K10 is more emotive and forward where Aether is laid-back and neutral. The upper mid of K10 could borderline brightness sometimes while Aether is not, both never sibilance. The bass on K10 has more slam but lack of control compared to Aether, it also doesn’t extend as deep as Aether’s sub-woofer quality. I have found Aether to be an upgrade over K10 as they are both being all-rounder monitor.

Noble Encore: This unit was demo-ed after a long waiting line in Canjam. Encore has fixed that congested staging and treble of k10 while retaining the similar signature. I have found Encore is still a notch below Aether in airiness, resolution and not as natural. The mid on Encore also somehow lost that magical touch on K10.

Campfire Andromeda: (updated) Having tried this iem many times even borrowing it home from friend. Both iems are well balanced but Aether seems to come out on top eventually due to extremely natural timbre. Andromeda has brighter upper mid which tends to be sibilant on tracks, the mid is a bit more forward on Andromeda, it's a bit warmer and thicker. Staging wise, Andromeda is wider but Aether is deeper throwing a depth into face. Overall, Aether beats Andromeda in resolution, separation and has a more natural timbre.

Zeus XR: Having tried the demo unit at Canjam. Zeus XR beats Aether in resolution not by much with better staging, separation and more accurate (reference tuning in mind here) but Aether’s staging has more depth to it and the treble on Aether sounds just more natural and euphonic without any hints of sibilance. As you know Zeus XR is 2.5x the price of Aether and you will get absolutely higher performance but I would take Aether over Zeus due to the signature, the way Aether represents the sound to make you enjoy more than analyze. Also with a top-end upgrade cable, Aether can still match the technical performance of Zeus on the stock.


CONCLUSION:

Aether is a vivid example of how a natural sounding IEM should be – smooth, rich, neutral without the need to be analytical or thick. While its technical performance could be rivaled and bettered by higher-end models with the cost of twice and more, its signature will always be something make it distinct from competitors as a unique one. At the moment, Aether is among those with the best price-to-performance ratio to date. I can only see myself switching between gears but Aether will always remain here for many years to come and it is going to become a classic masterpiece that won’t fade away with times. Give it a listen to believe. (Custom version is even better).