I’d once again like to thank Eric Chong for his generosity, enthusiasm and continued support, without which this review would not have been possible. The cables were provided for review, but all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
Introduction
I’ve been writing about Eletech cables for three years now, starting with Raphael and working my way through Sonnet of Adam, Ode to Laura, Aristotle and Euclid, and most recently Odyssey.
It’s been quite a journey, in more ways than one. Eletech’s cables have taken me from Renaissance Rome to the slopes of Mount Parnassus, with the odd detour through ancient Greece and enough poets, philosophers and painters to fill a small museum.
It would all feel rather contrived if the cables themselves weren’t so consistently well conceived. Eric Chong has a particular talent for turning strands of metal into objects with a story, without losing sight of their actual purpose. Even when the prices stray into territory that makes sensible people stare politely at the floor, the workmanship, ergonomics and attention to detail rarely leave much room for complaint.
Eric himself has become an important part of the portable audio community. He is generous with his time, open about his design choices, and unusually receptive to criticism. More than that, he supports reviewers, enthusiasts and fellow manufacturers with the same easy enthusiasm. In an industry that can occasionally take itself far too seriously, his willingness to share ideas, answer awkward questions and help simply because he can has earned him plenty of goodwill, mine included.
The new Artistry Series is therefore both familiar and slightly unexpected. Familiar, because Modello, Cartone and Fresco continue Eletech’s fascination with classical art, considered materials and bespoke hardware. Unexpected, because the range begins at $99, which isn’t inexpensive for an IEM cable, but it is genuinely entry level by Eletech standards.
Until now, the supposed gateway into the brand was the Virtues Series, where Raphael costs around five times as much as Modello. Entry level had clearly been doing some heavy lifting.
The three Italian names describe stages in the creation of a Renaissance artwork. A modello is an early, small-scale study; a cartone is the full-size drawing used to transfer the composition; and the fresco is the finished work painted into fresh plaster. Neat, certainly, but also apt. The series progresses from dual-blend copper, through silver-plated copper, to the less common tin-plated copper construction of Fresco, with each cable given its own visual and intended sonic character.
So this is Eletech working backwards down the price list, bringing parts of its design language and coaxial know-how to IEMs whose cables don’t cost more than the IEMs themselves. A radical idea, I know.
Packaging and accessories
This will be unusually brief for an Eletech review because there isn’t much to describe. Gone are the wooden boxes, leather cases, metal cards and Renaissance keepsakes. Each Artistry cable arrives in a basic but nicely illustrated cardboard box, sealed inside a resealable plastic bag. That’s more or less it.
At these prices, I’m happy with the restraint. The artwork preserves Eletech’s character, while the money appears to have gone into the thing you bought. My Versa review samples also include an extra set of swap-out connectors.
Versa remains one of the better modular IEM connector systems I’ve used. The threaded collar is secure, changing connectors requires no tool, and one cable can move between 2-pin, MMCX and Pentaconn Ear IEMs. For anyone with a growing collection, that flexibility is immediately useful. It also makes the cable more future-proof, since your next IEM needn’t share the connector on your current one.
Continue to Modello: first strokes…
