I really like Effect Audio’s cables and after my last roundup review of their Signature series, I was definitely interested in checking out more of their cables. I was asked if I want to take a look at their Cleopatra II cable and give some thoughts on it. As such, this will be more of an impressions vs a full on review. I simply don’t have any other cables in this price range to compare so it feels incorrect to give it a full review. Regardless, I do have some pretty good things to say about their new Cleo II. The Cleo II starts at $999 for the 4 braid version and I have the “Versatility” version that has both ConX and TermX swappable connectors/plugs.
Looks and Feel
To probably no one's surprise, these are extremely beautiful cables and very well made. The furniture used is a nice matte grey color that feels high quality and has a decent weight to it. The cable has a nice feel to the coating and even the strands of cable look extremely high quality. Comparing it to other silver cables I have on hand, it just looks better quality wise. The 4 braid is my personal favorite and while I like thicker cables, I don’t know that the 8 braid version they offer would make much sense for me personally. I think this 4 braid also strikes a good balance weight wise as I don’t feel fatigue when wearing the Cleo II with my IEMs.
Unboxing
The Cleo II comes in a pretty big box for a cable. That being said, the presentation is really special. Which I would expect given the price of the Cleo II. under the main sleeve we get the cable wrapped around a nice felt holder, under that is the rest of the accessories. We get a really nice leather box to hold the cable and IEMs, plus two boxes that hold both the TermX and ConX connectors/pugs. I think this was a pretty nice setup and while I would prefer a smaller box, I can understand the appeal given the price of the Cleo II.
TermX and ConX System
The TermX system is really well thought out and secure. It uses the main housing of the plug as a tightening and securing point so you just unscrew it to swap plugs and screw it back on to keep everything in place. Outside of DUNU’s own QD system, most of the other plug systems all use a simple connection that can come undone should you grab the wrong side of the plug and they also tend to be super long plugs too. The ConX system works well and they include a tool so you can tighten the connector on should you decide to keep a connector on for a longer amount of time. I really like both setups and I hope to see this same system on their entry level cables in the future.
Cable Sound Impressions
Like most things in this hobby, cable rolling to me is super subjective. These impressions will be what the Cleo II sounded like when paired to the specific IEMs I choose. IEM selection, source selection and ear tip selection will possibly add very different results vs what I hear personally. While I spent a good amount of time analyzing everything, take my impressions any way you wish.
I think compared to other silver cables that I have on hand, I think the Cleo II stands out with better controlled bass that doesn’t feel lacking at all. The mids might be slightly cleaner sounding but I couldn’t notice it as much compared to the bass and treble so I’m gonna call the mids the same as other silver plated cables. It also seems to boost the treble just the right amount so that it doesn’t sound overly bright but more refined and brings out some of the best resolution I’ve heard from some of my favorite IEMs. It however does sound a little narrower but deeper soundstage wise. This has a more focused stage. I’ll get into what I heard a little more below.
64 Audio Nio
The Nio is a newer IEM I’m currently reviewing but I did like this pairing overall. The Nio does hit hard in the bass normally but with the Cleo II, it felt better controlled and tight. It just sounded better detail wise down low. It still had the impact and slam I like but It felt faster vs the stock silver upgrade cable I have from 64 Audio. The mids sounded about the same here but the treble did have a little extra sharpness and amplified the details a bit more which I liked. The staging was naturally wide on the NIO but I did notice the width shrunk a little with the Cleo II. Not the end of the world and I do believe the detail retrieval increase is somewhat due to a better controlled width in the staging. Overall a good pairing.
THIEAUDIO V16 Divinity
The V16 was my favorite pairing with the Cleo II. The V16, while using 16 drivers per shell, does pretty good at producing boosted bass that is very well controlled and fast. The V16 does lose a little bass impact IMO with the Cleo II cable. It however still sounds wonderful down low and just slightly less warm overall. The mids did sound a little cleaner with some of that warmth going away but this was the only IEM I heard this difference so I’m not sure if the difference in the mids are placebo or just specific to this IEM or not. The treble however was elevated and boosted enough to pull the V16 out of a “warm IEM” and more into an neutral to bright IEM with very good detail retrieval up top. I thought the V16 pulled in really good details and this was indeed boosted when listening with the Cleo II cable. The staging was super wide and while it did narrow the stage with the Cleio II, it wasn’t enough that I felt the V16 lost any of its magic. Overall I loved this pairing and for the V16 owners, I would recommend this cable for the V16 any day.
Overall Thoughts
I really like this Cleo II cable and I was surprised to hear the refinements this cable provides sound wise over other silver plated cables I use. That being said, I personally believe a cable should be purchased for looks and quality first over sound improvements. Cable rolling is so subjective and while I do believe I hear a difference with this cable, it might be a different experience for someone else. As such, from a subjective point of view, I do recommend the Cleo II. I think this should however be a purchase for those who either have a lot of money burning a hole in their pockets or someone who has found their “endgame” IEM that wants to give it something extra. I really like Effect Audio’s line of IEM cables and I continue to look forward to their new releases. Thanks for reading!!
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