Eletech Sonnet of Adam: Midas Touch

Comparisons and conclusions

The most obvious comparison I’d like to make with Adam is Laura, but since I don’t have (and haven’t heard) the co-flagship, I’ll cast a larger net and see what sticks. 

To me, Adam sits comfortably in the same rarefied space as the likes of PW Audio’s First Times Shielding (reviewed here), and even Orpheus Shielding (reviewed here) to some extent. All three cables sound very different, and the PW Audio ‘co-flagships’ cost considerably more (ridiculously more in the case of Orpheus), but from a performance perspective at least, you’re getting a similar level of technical refinement in Adam.

Tonally, FTS is a leaner, brighter cable, which tends to trim off more warmth and bass and extend (and elevate) treble into the heavens. It’s not an ideal cable for either of the FIR IEMs I paired with Adam, but that’s mostly a matter of preference. Technically, FTS is exemplary, brining summit-fi resolution and staging to almost any TOTL IEM it’s paired with. 

Orpheus, on the other hand, is the Xe6 of cables. It’s a warmer, thicker, fuller-sounding cable with almost any pairing, although unlike Xe6, it rolls off some upper treble air despite its grandiose sound. The way Orpheus imposes its organically musical sound on monitors while pushing technical performance – detail and stage specifically – is what makes it a standout cable and a favourite of many.

Adam differs mainly in its tonality. It’s not a cable that will force a personality onto IEMs like FTS and especially Orpheus, at least not the degree that these cables do it. It’s also not as pitch black as those cables, although it’s still pitch black (let’s leave the debate on what’s blacker than black for another day, it tires me just thinking about it). 

The biggest difference, though, is ergonomics. Adam is significantly thinner and lighter, especially below the Y-split, where the two PW Audio cables are heavily shielded. That’s not to say FTS and Orpheus aren’t ergonomic – they are, at least to me – but Adam by comparison is light as a feather and easily more comfortable around the ear too. Some will also prefer Adam’s more exotic hardware, so if visuals and ergonomics are priorities in a choice of high-end cable, Adam could win you over on these metrics alone.  

There are, of course, many other super-luxury cables vying for your attention, from the likes of Brise, Nightjar and Effect Audio, to name a few. So far, from what I’ve seen, Eletech’s inspired design language and ergonomic consistency – making thinner cables with fewer wires that somehow still perform at the level of much larger, thicker and even more expensive options – is what sets them apart.

Specifically with Sonnet of Adam, the cable itself is more than just the sum of its parts. In a lineout of cables it’ll probably stick out as the dainty, pretty one, but beneath its slight proportions is carefully crafted technology and clearly experienced ‘tuning’.

It’s already won over someone like me, who tends to favour larger gauge cables. Moreover, its pairing with Xe6 – which incidentally elevates that IEM into my personal top rankings as an allrounder rather than a quirky specialist – is a great example of how some IEMs benefit from a great cable to tease it out their best possible sound. 

Other than price, which I promised early on not to harp on too much because at this level frugal rationality has long since left the building, there’s not much I can say to fault this very special cable.

Perhaps if you want more ‘bang for buck’ in terms of radical tonal swings that change the inherent nature of an IEM, Adam might not be that for you. Also, if you want something fuller and warmer or, conversely, brighter and leaner, Adam is more akin to Goldilocks in its demeanour, so rather look elsewhere.

But if you want a luxury cable that presents and performs as you’d expect at this level, preserves the personality of your luxury IEMs with a Midas Touch of technical excellence, then I’d certainly add Eletech’s Sonnet of Adam to the shortlist, with my highest possible recommendation.