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The Labkable Samurai III

S5

Introduction

Hong Kong based Labkable is an all-around cable specialist, reflected in their slogan: solutions for cables. They not only sell a wide range of cables for iems, headphones and speakers, but every individual component you can think of to satisfy the enthusiastic DIY’er (Hong Kong has a large cable DIY community). At Canjam London, I had the pleasure of inspecting their range of iem cables – a colorful display of high quality cables. Especially the hybrids make for colorful variations; the black and white ‘Silver Shadow’, flat-braided brown and black Takumi, or the majestic flagship ‘Pandora’, a hybrid 10-braid with two alternating colors of brown – all together, an interesting ensemble of eye catchers.

When I asked Peter, one of the founders of Labkable, about his philosophy, or whether Labkable had a ‘house sound’; his reply was to offer a wide as possible variety of signatures, so every customer can find a sound that matches their preference. Each cable has their own origin story. The popular meaning of ‘Samurai’, is the famous ancient Japanese Army. But Samurai also represents the spirit of ‘Bushido’, which can be translated to the Japanese virtues of ‘rigorousness’, ‘precision’, ‘seriousness’, and ‘prestige’. The Samurai series were developed with this concept in mind, to design a sound representing these values as closely as possible. In this regard, the Samurai III can be seen as the counterpart of the Pandora: the warmer sounding Pandora represents ‘emotion’, the Samurai stands for ‘rationality’ – if you don’t like one, you will most likely prefer the other.

Labkable Samurai III
Alloy:                    Silver/Gold/Platinum mixed alloy
Conductors:        4 braid
Construction:      Litz construction
MRSP:                  $875

Build & Design

While not as exotic as the many hybrids Labkable has to offer, the Samurai III is still a beautiful cable to behold. Mainly due to the dark gunmetal gray color of the Litz wires, with each conductor consisting of many tiny individual wires; but the splitter and connectors also provide a nice quality finish. The splitter is slim and lightweight, a black carbon fiber design with silver edges, matching the shiny silver connectors. The slider is made from a pretty inconspicuous plastic, but it keeps the cable light. The slim silver plug is regularly used with quality cables, in this case terminated to 3.5mm trrs.

The wires consist of an unusual alloy of silver (98.5%), gold (1%), and platinum (0.5%). The platinum was first and foremost included to increase the durability of the wires. Certain silver/gold alloys can become more vulnerable to damage, so the platinum was used to strengthen the core. In overall ergonomics, the cable has a common flexibility and weight for an upgrade cable – more noticeable than thin stock cables, but not heavy enough to be bothersome. While some cables might be more thin and flexible, I’ve equally had enough that are heavier and less pliable.

S4

Sound impressions

The Samurai has a relatively neutral signature; notes are neither thick nor thin, and its stage is clean and precise. Its tonality can be considered slightly brighter than neutral; the bass and midrange are relatively neutral, followed by a slight hump in the treble that adds a touch of brightness to the upper midrange and boosts clarity and overall note articulation. Due to its clean stage, the Samurai offers excellent separation, while also being highly resolving.

Bass
Overall, the Samurai’s bass is tight and controlled, and neither particularly enhanced or attenuated. The sub-bass hits are precise and impactful. The mid-bass is located slightly more distant; however it is detailed, displaying a good sense of definition and more importantly control. It doesn’t boost warm air that reduces the stage airiness, like a classic copper signature. Since the stage is also not inherently warm, the bass presentation results in a clean and spacious sounding stage.

Midrange
While the midrange comes close to neutral in its overall presentation, there is a slight coloration, mainly in the upper midrange. This is a defining feature of the overall signature – but in a positive way. Notes are slightly brighter and resonate with a certain beauty, some added weight that makes the presentation more impressive. This really makes electric guitars or dreamy synthetic tones ‘pop’ – brighter in this case refers to a shining quality, rather than sounding harsh or cold. While the cable itself cannot be classified as warm, the midrange has slight inherent warmth, essential for an emotional vocal representation. While Leonidas is more uncolored for instance, the midrange of a brighter ciem like the NT6pro or Galaxy can sound dry, missing that bit of warmth that keeps the musicality. Besides the slight warmth, as well as coloration in the upper midrange, the Samurai’s midrange can be classified as clear and detailed, though not overly lush or thick – the focus is on precision.

Treble
The Samurai’s treble consists of a neutral lower treble presentation, keeping it relatively smooth and safe with sibilance; the Samurai doesn’t bring out more sibilance than inherent to the iem’s tuning. A slight lift in the mid/upper treble regions adds clarity and improved articulation to the midrange. The treble itself is articulate, with a good deal of sparkle. Although the general tonality is not completely natural, it gives the overall signature a sense of liveliness and detail, while keeping the presentation relatively smooth.

S3

Page 2: Comparisons with other cables, matching with selected iems, and concluding thoughts.

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ABOUT AUTHOR

flinkenick

flinkenick

Nic is currently in pursuit of a PhD degree in social neuropsychology, while trying not to get too distracted by this hobby. In pursuit of theoretical knowledge by day, and audiophile excellence at night. Luckily for him, both activities are not mutually exclusive which helps to lighten the workload. Always on the go, Nic's enthusiasm for hi-fi is focused on all chains of the portable system: iems, cables and daps.

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4 Responses

  1. Hi Trung, so I assume you’re in a place where you can try stuff? How about the Effect Audio Ares II or Eros II? Ares II has a warm midrange, but not as warm as no 5, plus it has a little enhanced upper mids that work very well for female vocals. At $150, it’s a very nice option. I use it myself a lot with warmer iems. I haven’t heard Eros II, but I get from impressions it’s relatively uncolored, might be a nice balance.

  2. Nic, thank you for getting back. Since then, I’ve tried the PW no5 and the Norne THERIUM SERIES PURE SILVER OCC LITZ with my Andromeda. I like the PW no5 as it has a very airy and “natural” stage for me. However, its mid was too airy & spreaded out, and the tonality + timbre seems off. The Norne on the other hand has a very “technical” sound to it, with a much more accurate tonality to my ears at least. Downside is, it is also a bit too bright and strident. For my tastes, what would be a cable that you would recommend?

  3. Hi buddy,

    Just to be clear, when I think of denser, warmer, lusher mids; I think about warmer cables like plusSound GPC or maybe 1960 2-Wire. However, that is more a predominantly warm sound that might suit male vocals. The Samurai III is kind of similar to Effect Audio’s Leonidas, if you’ve tried it. It’s more a neutral, clear sound with nice upper mids, although it would suit female vocals. But not necessarily warmer or denser. A nice cheap alternative would be HanSound Zen for $150 btw, I’ve been using that a lot on the go.

    The Golden cable has an odd combination between warmth down low and brightness up top, a very interesting sound. You could compare it the original K10. But the Mk II is not the same cable, and I don’t know how that one sounds; probably similar but hard to tell.

  4. Hi Nic, I’m looking for a replacement cable for my Campfire Andromeda.

    I want a denser, lusher and more forward mid (female vocal is my #1 priority). Also, a warmer and more “dynamic-like” signature which means that I’m looking for summer and fall cables I think. I’m looking at this and the Rhapsodio Golden. Which one, or another one you know would fit my need the best? Thank you.

    p.s. Rhapsio Golden mk iii is now on their site for only $300 instead of $700 like when you reviewed it. Do you know if that is still the same cable?

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