Preamble
Thank you to @Damz87 and @EffectAudio for arranging the Australian Head-Fi Tour of the Effect Audio Code 24 and 24C.
In the history of product lines, there has also been the sense of wanting more for less but ultimately being sad that you don’t have the best of the best. A Civic Type R pulls up to you in your Si, a WRX STi pulls up to you in your WRX, a Continental GT pulls up to your plain old Continental and there is a sense of wanting.
Today’s review concerns the smaller brother of a newly released cable, the Code 24, and whilst limited and finished in a rather pretty hue, the Code 24C isn’t exactly the initial choice for discerning snake oil enthusiasts.
But with a shift in material composition, a lower price and a more tolerable colour scheme (in my opinion), could the Code 24C represent a tremendous value proposition and potentially beat its flagship brother?
The Factual Stuff
The Code 24C is a limited edition cable featuring a very unique purple hue termed “Galactic Purple”. Unlike the Code 24, the 24C has a thinner gauge of wire at 18.5 AWG instead of 16.5 AWG but still features similar hardware and a two-wire construction. The singular wires consist of a trio of solid cores surrounded by 17 multi-core sized bundles which are then insulated. These wires are fashioned out of UP-OCC Copper Litz as opposed to silver-plated copper in the Code 24.
The 24C features EA’s Conx and TermX system.
The prototype and the production model side-by-side.
The Opinion Stuff
Sound
I believe in sonic changes as a result of cable rolling. If you do not, please skip to Quality of Life & Value.
Notes made in this review are in comparison to the stock sound of whatever the IEM is, that is, with its original cable (save for the Maestro Mini) and some commonalities that I experienced.
The Code 24 was reviewed with a variety of IEMs including:
- Letshuoer S12 Pro;
- Unique Melody MEST MK II;
- FatFreq Maestro Mini;
- FatFreq Scarlet Mini;
- Softears Twilight; and
- Elysian Annihilator 2023.
Bass
TL;DR: Despite common beliefs on copper enhancing bass, the Code 24C only offers a subtle improvement in sub-bass quantity and a more noticeable increase in bass speed and texture, requiring critical listening to discern these changes.
Given the constant tropes that one reads on head-fi forums, one would generally believe that copper is what you go with for low-end performance. On the Code 24C, the bass regions strike with decent authority over stock cables used with the aforementioned IEMs (some of which include copper cables). However, there is not world-beating transformative existential experience that arises from this cable roll, the bass-response remains somewhat middling with the extent of the sonic shift caused. On all IEMs, the changes were quite subtle to hear and required a rather critical listen to point out. This may just me playing mind games with myself to believe in the value of cables but ultimately I arrived at a very, very minor uplift in terms of sub-bass quantity but a more obvious shift in speed and texture of the bass. This latter aspect seemed to create a greater sense of immediacy and excitement to the bass regions and I enjoyed it with more exciting uptempo songs.
Mids
TL;DR: The Code 24C accentuates upper-mids and female vocals, sometimes causing sibilance with brighter IEMs, while male vocals appear slightly recessed, making it suitable for music focused on female vocals.
The Code 24C when compared with the stock cable for the IEMs above seemed to create a more upper-mid forward representation of music. Female vocalists came to the forefront of whatever music you are listening to and as a result, there is a slight sibilance at times with the brighter IEMs in this shootout.
The rest of the mid-range seems to present with great crispness and speed overall, with instruments such as keyboards striking out with speed and a slightly drier rendition when compared to stock cables and to the Code 24.
Male vocals receive a shorter end of the stick as they are slightly recessed but also feel well bodied and deeply emotional in their reproduction. With certain IEMs I felt as though there was poor synergy between the two leading to an almost overbearing female vocal without the same airiness and larger stage to accommodate this boost.
Overall, I feel that the Code 24C is great for those with libraries heavy with female vocals and wish to elicit greater, more intimate renditions of such songs. However, beware synergising this with certain IEMs that already place precedence on these elements (see Elysian Diva for example).
Treble
TL;DR: The Code 24C delivers a spacious, reverberant treble with a smoother, less aggressive presentation than the Code 24.
The Code 24C presents a more sparse and spaced out reproduction of treble regions with slower decay and being more reverberant than some of the stock cables and with the Code 24. There is a retention of sparkle but compared to the Code 24, there is a lesser ‘in-your-face’ rendition and it does not strike with the same attack and speed as the Code 24.
Otherwise, the treble region of the Code 24C seems relatively straightforward and not too forward in the mix, there is a decent crispness to hi-hats and the rendition of higher pitched synths seem to come off rather well. As mentioned previously, there is a slight sibilance to the Code 24C when compared to the stock cables (in most cases) but on the whole it remained perfectly sufficient and well-rounded in its treble performance.
Overall, there is not dramatic shaping of the upper regions of the frequency response here but rather a smoothing out and lighter rendition of treble.
Technicalities
TL;DR: The Code 24C offers a mid-forward, deeply staged sound with clear imaging and layering, enhancing engagement in vocal-heavy music, but without significantly expanding soundstage or resolving power like the Code 24
The Code 24C does a rather mixed job of ‘improving’ the technicalities of anything you’re listening too.
Unlike the 24, there is no expansion of the sound stage to the same extent, but it has decent depth to the stage and is nicely layered within that stage. The mid-forwardness presents a sense of depth wherein the vocalist is front and centre. Outside of staging, the 24C seems to heighten the ease at which I am able to pinpoint the direction of certain notes and sounds within a mix, creating an excellent sense of imaging with panning and alternating sounds within the head-stage which remain very clear and easily discernible.
There is no huge shift in resolving power here, but the mid-forward nature of the cable seems to lend itself to certain types of music and helps you ascertain certain nuances and details within vocalists hitting their notes.
Overall, the shift in technical performance was not that dramatic but rather created a smoother and mid-forward listen that helped to be more engaging with certain types of vocal heavy music.
Value & Quality of Life:
Ergonomics
TL;DR: The Code 24C, with thinner wire than the 24 and 23, offers improved manageability and flexibility but still struggles with thick wire.
I have waxed poetic about how much I disliked the Code 23 for its ergonomics and within my Code 24 review I will talk about how it improved it but ultimately remained not viable for my use case. The Code 24C takes its improvements even further opting for an even thinner wire gauge than the Code 24 (which already took a thinner guage than 23). The result is a more manageable cable that whilst thick remains rather malleable and less prone to retaining its shape. However, it continues to be a rather thiccboi and more awkwardly shaped IEMs such as the Twilight suffered with slight movement as the thiccboi earhooks seeming threw themselves out of wack and just fell out of place.
The hardware design follows the Code 23 with an industrial and rather bulky splitter and jack accentuating its presence. However, compared to the 23 and the 24, the 24C does indeed have smaller hardware which means it is less likely to annoy you on a regular basis.
EA’s ConX and TermX connectors are always a welcome companion to improve the longevity of your cable as you are able to switch connectors to survive any changes to your IEMs or to your source device of choice.
TermX I am not a huge fan of as I use mostly 4.4mm in any case and there is a tendency for both TermX and ConX to unscrew themselves overtime but this is not a huge issue for 2-pin IEMs.
Cost
Coming at 499 USD the Code 24C is hardly a budget item but I retain that its influence on the sonic signature of your IEM is greater than that of other EA cables such as the Cadmus and the Ares. However, this is with the caveat of whether you would actually enjoy the mid-forward nature of the Code 24C.
Unlike the Code 24 which I feel has more everyman enjoyable influence on your IEM, the Code 24C seems more picky in terms of synergistic pairings in my opinion and for that reason I am reticent to say that this worth the cost of admission.
Whilst I feel that this is practically ergonomic bliss compared to the likes of Code 23 or 24, the 24C seems to be more niche and specific in its application and as such I might be more likely to recommend the EA Christmas Cable (if you are able to grab it since it is limited) or looking to even more ergonomically viable offerings from other manufacturers.
I do not feel that the Code 24C is a safe choice for the price so this will be a demo before you buy pick.
Comparison
vs Code 23 (from memory and notes taken from my review of the Code 23)
TL;DR: The Code 23 offers a greater sonic shift with enhanced stage width and airiness, but less ergonomic than the subtler, more engaging Code 24C with better-textured bass, making the 24C a safer but less transformative choice.
The ergonomic beast that is the Code 23 is no longer in my possession but I recall and my notes evidence that it seemed to provide a greater sonic shift with IEMs than with the Code 24C. Code 23’s notes represent that there was a very much enhanced sense of stage width and depth and a tremendous injection of airiness whilst retaining some low-end oomph.
The Code 24C provides a more subtle influence but seemingly goes in the opposite direction by confining things slightly to provide greater levels of engagement and forwardness of sound. I noted that the Code 23 had a more boomy bass that was ever so slightly bloated in my opinion and the Code 24C seems to have a more textured and speedy rendition of bass when paired with my IEMs.
Ergonomics are drastically improved in the Code 24C but in the grand scheme of things, that is not much of an achievement in my books.
Overall, the Code 23 is a $100 more than the 24C and what you get with that extra $100 is a tremendous decrease in ergonomics but a rather dramatic shift in sound. Both Code cables are rather difficult to recommend to absolutely everyone but the 24C is the safer choice by far.
vs Code 24
TL;DR: The Code 24C emphasizes upper mids and mid-bass with less detail than the 24, has narrower staging but deeper vocal presence, and is more ergonomic but less refined, making it suitable for music focused on female vocals but less versatile overall.
The Code 24C presents music with a distinct emphasis on upper mids as I felt female vocalists were brought front and centre of the stage and presented in a very forward and engaging manner compared to the 24. In terms of bass performance, I would have to give it to the 24 in terms of sub-bass extension, texture and detail whereas the 24C seems to have greater emphasis on mid-bass frequencies adding to the sense of punch but in the process, seemingly diminishing the level of detail.
Treble regions for the 24C does not sound all that great compared to the 24 as I felt that it had a less-engaging upper end. There is not great articulation, sparkle or drama imparted in this region and overall slightly recessed in the mix.
In terms of technical abilities, the 24C’s staging is not as wide as the 24 but there is a great sense of depth imparted, perhaps as a result of that very forward vocal line. Otherwise the detail retrieval of the 24C and imaging chops do not feel as articulate or well defined as the 24.
Ergonomically, the 24C, with its thinner wire gauge, is the most ergonomic Code series cable yet and feels more manageable than the 24. Still not world beating or ergonomically viable for small-eared, glasses-wearing folk but still pretty good.
Overall, I feel that the 24C represents some rather good value in terms of price and its ability to inject some extra boom and punch in the low-end combined with a female forward colouration that seeks to engage you with your music. However, I do not feel it is as refined as the 24 and the seemingly reduced dynamic range when A-Bing the two seems to make the 24 a safer choice.
vs PWAudio 1950s Replica
TL;DR: The PWAudio 1950s cable, rumored to use the same copper as Cardas Clear, offers similar staging but better layering and resolution than the more confined and less detailed Code 24C, with superior ergonomics despite some memory issues.
There were murmurs that the PWAudio 1950s cable was constructed out of the same wire as a Cardas Clear headphone cable, and when informed, I was intrigued enough to procure one made by an enterprising Queenslander. Both are made with copper.
The 1950s presents a similar staging to the 24C in that neither are that large. The 24C however feels a bit more confined by virtue of the very forward upper mids leading to female vocalists practically whispering into you ear. The 1950s presents with greater layering and separation between notes with no sense of overlap or veil from an overaggressive tuning profile. I feel that the 1950s was more resolving and speedy in its presentation whereas the Code 24C seemingly took a more relaxed approach to offering up notes for you to listen to.
The ergonomics are beyond compare in that the 1950s is far more viable in my use case despite having some memory issues.
Overall, both are tonally similar with the difference in upper-mids and a reduction in resolution and separation offered by the Code 24C.
Conclusion
The Code 24C presents a rather mixed bag of goodies for the discerning snake oil enthusiast. It looks great, is more ergonomic than its Code cousins (but ultimately not that ergonomic), has a rather enjoyable sound signature, but also may not synergise well with certain mid-forward IEMs.
Ultimately, I feel that the Code 24C presents a gateway to the Code family of cables if you have been apprehensive about the chonk invading your life. I do not feel that it is as good as an all-rounder as the Code 24 and may leave some blind buyer’s wanting. Overall, I feel that if you just want a cool looking purple cable then its great but if you looking to synergise this cable with a specific IEM, I would definitely try before you buy.
