YOU ARE AT

Han Sound Audio Venom

Comparions

PW Audio 1960 2-Wire ($999)
Both the 1960 2-Wire and Venom provide a smooth sound with a warmer tilt, and an especially black background. However, Venom creates a more open, spacious stage, resulting in a more effortless separation. Even so, the 2-wire counters with a slight lift in the mid-bass, which is more organic in tone. As a result, it provides a slightly more natural timbre, where Venom’s midrange sounds a bit drier by comparison. Both cables reproduce the lower treble in accordance with the iem’s own signature, while providing a relatively smooth upper treble. So in both cases, neither cable will provide a clarity-driven, sparkly type of sound. Even so, Venom offers a slight improvement in top-end extension, and as a result, higher definition of its midrange notes. In terms of weight and ergonomics, the 2-Wire’s sleeker design is significantly more lightweight and practical on the go.

Effect Audio Janus D ($1399)
Janus D is a copper-based cable, which utilises a palladium-plated copper mixed with silver- and gold-plated copper hybrid design. Yet despite a completely different design and use of materials, the two cables share several prominent characteristics; namely, a lightly warm tone, high resolution, and spacious stage. In addition, both the quantity of the bass, as well as upper treble is fairly similar, leaning towards the smoother side. Within that framework, there are several differences. Venom offers a slightly blacker background, which increases the contrast with its warm notes. In addition, its midrange is slightly more forward, even though it doesn’t add an additional thickness to the note. By comparison, Janus’ midrange is more neutrally placed, although it is a bit quicker. To bring them even closer, they don’t stray far when it comes to ergonomics – both are heavy cables. The Janus due to its 8-wire design, the Venom due to its shielding.


Conclusion

The Venom is a rather unique cable, which seems to blend elements of both silver and copper cables in its signature. For instance, while its staging and performance seems to reveal its silver-based origins, the treble itself is laidback, providing Venom with an overall warmer and smooth character. But of course, the contribution of the shielding cannot be discounted, even though it is hard to isolate its effect. However, based on previous experience with shielded cables (for instance the Rhapsodio Copper Wizard, which uses the same shield albeit it passively), I am inclined to attribute its especially black background and spacious feel to the shielding.

Due to its technical capability, while being neither overly warm, nor bright, one might say Venom is a variation of a reference cable. It excels primarily when it comes to performance, offering a spacious stage with an effortless separation, as it doesn’t add additional body to the sound. Due to its high resolution and stable black background, it allows a high level of detail to emerge in a smooth manner, despite its warmer tone – perhaps its greatest and most unique advantage, forming a smoother alternative for a high resolution cable.

 

HanSound Audio Venom
Design: Silver-Gold Alloy 4-wire, with active shielding
MRSP: ~$1600

Retail
music-sanctuary.com/collections/han-sound-audio-venom

SHARE.

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.

RELATED POSTS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent posts

Sponsors

Categories