Comparisons and conclusions
As a student of Renaissance art, I admit that Eletech’s choice of marketing parables appealed to me even before I had Raphael in hand. Thankfully the images I had in my mind, of a warm, romantic but detailed sound, are the same that I heard as I switched Raphael between different IEMs.
If you’ll forgive a slight diversion, it’s interesting to me how good cables so obviously change the subtle nature of each IEM’s tuning, and this is really the biggest benefit of third party cables in my opinion. Unlike other parts of the chain, however, the cost of said cables is, for me, inconsistent with the performance gains. – or, in some cases, losses.
For instance, comparing Raphael to the most expensive cable I have on hand, PW Audio’s First Times Shielding (review coming soon), is like comparing chalk and cheese with the same IEMs. The strength of PW Audio’s $3500 (that’s not a typo) co-flagship is its immense technical ability, blowing open the stage and elevating details to stratospheric levels, even with moderately-priced IEMs. Compared to Raphael, stage is audibly wider and deeper, background is a touch darker too, and resolution is bumped up a few notches.
But what Raphael ‘lacks’ in absolute technical mastery compared to FTS (and to be clear, Raphael doesn’t reduce the technical performance of any of the IEMs I used with it), it more than makes up for in tonal balance. FTS, for instance, opens up the midrange and treble to such a degree that it adds some dryness and occasionally leanness to the sound. Raphael, on the other hand, injects a touch of warmth and weight, without impacting resolution or detail.
At this point, it becomes a preference, and it’s telling that I prefer Raphael to FTS with almost every pairing. Raphael is also much thinner and lighter, and in that regard I do prefer FTS’s more substantial girth and weight. Also, if detail is your mantra, and treble is your vice, FTS will likely be your poison every time.
At the other end of the scale, comparing Raphael to the ‘entry level’ Signature Series cables (reviewed here) from its direct competitor, Effect Audio, is also revealing. These 8-wire cables are well made, versatile (with their ConX connectors), and have more elaborate packaging too. But the sonic changes and refinement I hear with Ares S and Cadmus 8-wire cables are not quite at the same level as Raphael.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re after a cable purely for aesthetics and comfort, enjoy bulkier cables, and don’t want large swings in tone, either of these EA cables should do the trick. Raphael is much lighter and slimmer, and definitely goes for bigger tonal swings than the latter two, especially in its midrange tuning. Raphael is also more refined, and more technically capable too, which makes sense at twice the price (but not at ten times the price like FTS).
Hopefully the above discussion, combined with the preceding in-depth analysis, paints a picture of how I see Raphael in the highly competitive third-party cable landscape (puns fully intended). There’s a sense of artistry that flows though this cable, from the first packaging impressions, to hearing the romantic overtones it lends to most of the IEMs I paired it with.
When I first approached Eric asking which cable he thought would be a good starting point for exploring the Eletech range, he immediately suggested Raphael, and I can see why. It’s a cable that clearly demonstrates Eletech’s aesthetic, attention to detail, and – in reading reviews and discussing other Eletech cables with colleagues – also gives me a sense of the company’s ‘house sound’ in the way it alters the tonal balance of my IEMs.
At $500, I don’t consider Raphael entry level by any stretch, but I feel it has the looks, ergonomics and performance that justifies the cost for most enthusiasts. In my experience, diminishing returns hit hard beyond this point, and I struggle to think of any cable that approaches anything resembling good value at higher price points than this.
Of course, that’s a personal view, and won’t be shared by some, but the point I’m trying to make is that, if you enjoy the look, feel and sound of Raphael, there’s not much reason to look further up the line. The changes cables make to the overall sound of an IEM are subtle at best, so unless you’re really after the last 5% of technical refinement and have the means to buy it, Raphael could well be finishing touch to your perfect portable chain.
