Effect Audio Leonidas II
Aesthetics and Build quality:
The Leonidas II is one pretty cable, with a soft outer jacket and silver colouration it looks really amazing in the flesh. The jack has a carbon fibre housing, the y-split is silver and leather, and the 2-pin connectors are just sleek silver. I really do love the look of the cable; it definitely stands out as the silver has quite a unique sparkle in the sunlight.
Build quality is superb, from the PSquared jack to the 2-pin connectors everything is flawless. The braid is consistent and everything just feels really premium and well made.
Comfort:
The Leonidas II uses 26awg wires in a soft jacket, along with a consistent braid and moulded earhooks rather than stiff memory wire. All of this makes the Leonidas II an extremely comfortable cable in use, it is also a very quiet cable, with minimal if any cable noise.
Sound:
The Leonidas II is not a cable that brings noticeable changes in the lows/mids/highs, rather it focusses on how the detail and soundstaging effects are portrayed. The Leonidas II places a firm focus on creating a very accurate and wide soundstage, yet it also manages to add an element of increased resolution.
This increase in resolution doesn’t come across as added brightness though, it still remains a smooth a natural sounding cable. The Leonidas II will pair with many different monitors, with a black background and impeccable imaging and soundstaging. This cable never makes you feel like anything has been sacrificed to create the improvements, it keeps all the core elements of the sound of your monitors, but the increase in detail and spaciousness are instantly recognisable.
This is definitely a cable you can hook up and forget about, it doesn’t jump out at you with exciting elements, however it has a very mature and resolving sound that is about pure enjoyment.
Conclusion:
The Leonidas II is a perfectly balanced, highly resolving and all-round excellent cable. It is one that will pair well with most IEM’s, bringing out the best of their technical capabilities without making anything stand out.
Sound: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Build: 5/5
Value: 4/5
You can find our whole range of Effect Audio cables here
Would these pair well with my campfire audio andromeda’s / ifi micro blk
Hi Billy, Andromeda + Leo II would be an amazing pairing, all the micro detail and resolution you could ever want without sounding bright or harsh.