Every time a multi-kilobuck cable or IEMs are announced, people get upset, blaming consumers who buy these products and encourage manufacturers to drive prices up. But in a reality, cable brands like EA and PWA offer products in price range from $100 to $4k-$5k; and btw, as an example, EA Centurion msrp is $4k and PWA Orpheus is $4.7k. I’m sure they manufacture and sell cheaper cables in much higher volumes, and upper end stuff in limited volumes. And after every such announcement, I hear that upper end stuff gets sold out within weeks and there is a long waiting line to get it (EA just announced that 1st batch of Centurion pre-orders completely sold out, people have to wait for the 2nd batch). Some people don’t care about diminishing returns and will pay $4k even for 5% improvement because they can afford it. The price envelope is being pushed because there is a demand, often driven by a wealthy audiophiles in Asia who collect high end gear. And manufacturer respond with a supply to meet that demand, while still offering more affordable and great looking cables for the rest of the market.
It’s just part of life. We don’t get upset that Infiniti cost more than Nissan or Lexus cost more than Toyota. Either one will get you from point A to point B, and you can pay $20k or $60k for it depending on what you can afford. Tbh, I would have been more upset if the company only offered high end stuff, pushing it as “a must have” or claiming that buying their $4k cable will turn your $100 IEM into $4.1k flagship. They don’t do that. And if you find a reviewer who claims that, you will be a fool to make a purchasing decision based on that alone. Plus, anybody who visits CanJams and been at tables of EA, Eletech, PWA, etc, will know these guys have a full spread from high to low, and encourage you to bring your favorite IEMs and DAPs with your favorite music to just try and compare and see if you hear the difference.
And yes, I’m one of those reviewers who will write about it. But don’t expect to read from me about night and day difference, and I will not encourage you to take a 2nd mortgage on your house to buy a cable that cost 2x more than your IEMs. As I mentioned above, if its eye-watering price makes you really upset, EA has Vogues series cables starting at $99 that are also great. Centurion is a cable aimed at those who already invested into Traillii, Mason FS, Erlkonig, and other premium $4k-$6k IEMs.