Sound impressions
Whether or not you’re a cable ‘believer’, it stands to reason that the ‘sound’ of a cable is inseparable from the sound of the IEM itself. As such the sound descriptions below are based on the FR changes I hear using Raphael with my IEMs.
In this case, I tested Raphael primarily with FIR’s Radon 6 CIEM, which is the ‘reference’ IEM in my collection. I also used it with a few other IEMs to hear the changes, if any, in their sound, which I’ll describe in the pairings section. As always, I use a selection of test tracks, including Lana Del Rey’s A&W, Eagles’ Hotel California Live, Angel Olsen’s Chance, Max Richter’s Winter 1, Angel of Venice’s Trotto, Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms, and Armin Van Buuren’s Intense, among others.
I’m not sure how closely Eric and his team match their marketing with the actual character of their products, but describing Raphael’s sound is not too dissimilar to describing the artist’s use of paint and colour.
If you’ve seen any of Raphael’s famous works, especially from his Florentine period, you’ll note his use of colour is both rich and harmonious. He employed a palette of soft, warm colours that contributes to the overall serenity of his paintings, and used light and shadow to create volume and depth in his figures.
Raphael’s is a romantic depiction of reality, rather than a study in absolute realism, and that’s more or less how I’d describe the effect on sound with (the cable) Raphael, especially in the way it renders the midrange. To my ears, Raphael lifts the midrange fundamentals, especially male and female vocals, giving them a slightly warmer glow and adding a touch of weight to their notes.
This is not an overly warm or hazy change, but rather a subtle colouration. It dovetails with a solid rendering of the lower frequencies, which aren’t shaped too much but are instead enhanced by better separation from the mids and better extension into the sub-bass. Further up the range, treble is given an organic tilt, with some smoothness flattening out lower treble peaks in particular – useful when the (upper) midrange is lifted slightly.
Technically Raphael is excellent, to the point where I feel the clarity and resolve it adds, especially in the midrange but also in the treble, is as good as I’ve heard from just about any cable. It may not expand the soundfield as much as some uber-pricey, heavily-shielded cables tend to do, but imaging and separation are both enhanced, even in an IEM like Rn6 where these technical attributes are already at a very high level.
The combination of a warmer, fuller midrange tone with excellent technical performance is, to my mind, an ideal match for IEMs that lean more analytical or clinical, unless you have a penchant for analytical, clinical sound. It also improves the sound of neutral-reference IEMs like Rn6, giving their voicing an organic tilt which I really like. Boosting the mids will also change the balance of U and V-shaped IEMs, arguably for the better, adding detail and presence to vocals that would otherwise be slightly recessed.
It doesn’t muffle or darken already darker-leaning IEMs either, but rather gives them more substance, and opens up the mid-to-upper frequencies without adding peakiness or harshness. For example, Raphael paired with the thicker-sounding Xe6 wasn’t ‘too much of a good thing’, lifting Xe6’s vocals, especially female vocals, further away from the dominant midbass and lower midrange, and giving the sound more balance in the process. That said, if you enjoy Xe6’s stock tuning, this change might be less appealing, and on the whole, I think Raphael is better paired with the more linear-tuned Rn6.
You might also want to test out Raphael’s suitability with IEMs that are already mid-forward (especially upper-mid forward), which could imaginably add some shout, but since cable changes are subtle at best, I think the risk of any serious misfires are minimal. This was the case when I tested Raphael with 64 Audio’s new Volür, with its boosted upper mids, where I noted a touch more hardness to the sound, which wasn’t ideal.
Select pairings
I’ve already hinted at some of my favourite pairings above, but also that Raphael, as a cable that goes for colour and emotion, won’t be suited to every IEM and every listener.
FIR Audio Rn6 (reviewed here). By far my favourite pairing, Rn6 is a balanced, W-shaped monitor with world-class bass, excellent balance across the range, and a technical performance that might not win any awards in its price range but still ticks every important box for this reviewer.
Raphael brings the midrange forward, slightly above Rn6’s stock neutral tuning, and adds some weight to the midrange notes too, making vocals more natural and organic. Bass is left intact, but tightened up a touch so that the split between sub- and midbass is more apparent. Treble is smoothed over a touch, which benefits the overall tuning in my opinion. With the changes comes a shift in stage perception, given more holography and depth while retaining Radon’s naturally-impressive width.
FIR Audio Xe6 (reviewed here). With its overloaded midbass and lower midrange tuning, Xe6 is an unashamedly warm, dynamic IEM that’s ideal for technical music like EDM. But it can and does become quite versatile with tip, cable and source pairings, not to mention the various ATOM modules that attenuate its bass response.
Raphael works its own magic on Xe6’s midrange, opening it up and revealing extra layers in the music I sometimes didn’t know were there. I don’t quite hear the same warming effect on the mids with Xe6 that I do with Rn6, but the more open sound does shift the balance towards the upper midrange, and increases the distance between mids and bass too. Whether or not you like that shift will depend on how much you enjoy Xe6’s stock tuning, but for vocal and more complex music I find it quite a positive change.
FatFreq Maestro SE (reviewed here). FatFreq’s ‘sub-bass monster’ is actually quite a balanced IEM, at least with music that lacks the sub-bass cues that trigger its massive 20dB bass shelf. Where it’s lacking somewhat is midrange weight which, while pleasantly tuned, often comes off as thin and a touch digital. It also has a tendency to overplay some treble peaks, though that comes down to fit and insertion depth for me.
With Raphael, I immediately hear more substance in the midrange. The midrange notes are also opened up, revealing some additional layers, and treble is slightly smoothed over, enough that I’m not really focused on the peaks. Ergonomics with MSE, which is a large and unwieldly IEM, are also very good.
64 Audio Volür (review coming soon). I won’t say too much about this IEM here because I’m still getting to know it, but it’s one IEM where I feel the Raphael pairing isn’t ideal. Volür’s strengths include a dense, forward midrange, with elevated but smooth upper mids, and Raphael’s midrange emphasis pushes this balance just a touch too far for me. I also like Volür’s downward sloping treble, which lets the excellent bass performance stand out, and Raphael opens the treble up too much for my liking here. Like I said, still early days, but I think there are better cable options for Volür at this point.
Continue to comparisons and conclusions…
