Closing thoughts
There is something inherently romantic about our search for audio nirvana, or at least I’d like to think so. How else can we explain the lengths we go to, just to find the missing piece of an ever-changing puzzle.
Nowhere in the hobby is this more true than with cables, that most mysterious and elusive of all audio pursuits. Heck, even seasoned audiophiles will sometimes stare blankly when I start talking to them about cables, as if the topic itself is too abstract to debate.
Personally, I struggle to understand how anyone can swap out a cable like Laura and not hear an undeniable difference in the sound of an IEM. Say what you want about audio memory and placebo, but when a bass drum very obviously decays more naturally, or a vocal performance is suddenly absent of sibilance when nothing else in the chain has changed other than the cable, then chances are it’s the cable.
Reading through some of Petrarch’s Laura sonnets while researching for this review, I can almost picture him pondering the same thing, wandering though the Tuscan countryside with DAP in hand and IEMs in his ears, listening to soulful music about unrequited love.
Alone and thoughtful through the most deserted fields,
I go, seeking out places where I used to see
that gentle image which now so troubles me
that I cannot escape it, wherever my path yields.
I love how Eletech has taken this story and woven it into a fable about its most accomplished cable to date. It speaks to artistic creativity – and some clever marketing, of course – but mostly it acknowledges the connection that exists between the artisan and the listener.
Laura, at its core (or, rather, nine cores), is the quintessential modern copper cable, forged with modern technology, made for modern audio chains. At a basic level, sure, it’s just another high-performance, well-designed and beautifully made ultra-luxury audio cable. But on a deeper level I really appreciate the idea of Laura almost as much as the cable itself.
Yet still, my soul is filled with joy
to bear the burden of her absence,
for I have known the sweetness of her love,
which none can feign.
If you’re lucky enough to afford her, Laura comes with my highest possible recommendation. You can purchase Ode to Laura and the Versa system directly from Eletech here.
