AuR Audio Xerxes Review: Flagship Performance, Naturally
AuR Audio is one of those brands that I’ve been watching for quite some time – and also waiting to introduce to About Audio for quite some time now. Co-founded by Nicholas Teo and Abel Tsu, AüR is a boutique brand from Singapore that has been crafting in-ear monitors and custom cables since 2021. AüR has been making lots of noise among global audiophile communities since then, and now we have the pleasure of introducing an AüR product. Today, we’re reviewing AüR Audio’s latest flagship upgrade cable – the Xerxes.
Now being offered as a combo package deal with AüR’s latest Alicante IEMs, Xerxes is a flagship pure-copper cable that is aimed at bringing out maximum performance for Alicante as well as various other flagship IEMs. Let’s go into details on how it sounds, how it pairs with different IEMs, and how it competes against its bigger brand competitors. AüR Xerxes is available for ~$999 (1,299 SGD).
About AuR Audio
Before we move on to the main dish, an extra briefing about AüR Audio would be worth knowing. If you’ve been getting your major audio news through online sponsors and exhibitions, there’s a chance you may not have heard of them – or not be fully aware of their offerings.
They are not exactly a brand that releases a new IEM every few months to keep the lineup moving, or does a lot of marketing across online platforms, nor do they show up at global exhibitions as often as bigger brands. Nicholas, from AüR Audio, states that as a boutique brand, AüR Audio’s mission is to create flagship or summit-fi-level IEMs at a more accessible price. While this means less public exposure due to limiting marketing costs, they instead went for investing in and improving the product value, bringing the qualities up and the price as competitive as possible.
The “Flagship Sniper” by the AüR Team: Alicante + Xerxes Combo (Product link)
A total of 12-drivers featuring a 2DD+8BA+1PZT+1MST quadbrid setup, Alicante is AuR’s latest and most advanced earphones to date. Just by the spec sheet, these IEMs are signaling that they aren’t any typical IEMs. Alicante is one of the latest results of that progression that is meant to bring the most cost-efficient flagship IEM made by AüR Audio – something that’s meant to take down the summit-fi giants at a substantially lower price. Packing twelve drivers and four different driver technologies into a five-way crossover system, AüR describes Alicante as a product that collects the experience gained from its previous creations into one design.
What’s interesting is that AuR is now offering Alicante with Xerxes for ~$1,580 (1,999SGD), an offering that comes in at almost half the retail price when purchased separately. Value-wise, if you’re into getting the Xerxes cable, I’d highly suggest adding a bit more budget and grabbing the Alicante combo instead. That’ll get you a flagship cable along with a nice flagship IEM – check our Alicante review for more details.
Cable Geometry / Features
Xerxes is a 22 AWG, 4-braid pure-copper cable. Wires are made of ultra-high-purity, triple-blend OCC copper, featuring three copper wires with different properties and geometries. Xerxes has a complex multi-strand structure for optimal signal flow. The outer sleeves are finished with flagship-grade insulation and damping for a quieter, cleaner background. Cable parts are made of CNC-machined aluminum finished with gun-metal and gold colors.
Handling / Comfort
When it comes to handling, it does have a bit more weight than your typical stock cable or budget custom cables. However, it safely remains within the comfort zone of being able to carry around and actively use for portable usage. The wires are soft but have a bit of density to them – let’s say, if comparing to pasta, Xerxes has the cable density/stiffness similar to being ‘al dente’. Compared to Eletech Ode to Laura (which we’ll also do in-depth sound comparisons), Xerxes is slightly heavier and stiffer. But do keep in mind that OTL is one of the lightest/smoothest cables available in the flagship cable market. Xerxes is easily manageable when storing or wearing, though you can feel the wires are packed with strands of wire when handling or wrapping for storage. However, for actual usage, Xerxes does not create noticeable microphonics or stiffness that bothers the wearing experience.
Overall Sound Characteristics of AuR Xerxes
Xerxes is an impressive cable in several ways. First is the resolution. Xerxes unveils mids and highs not by boosting the brightness but by providing a lot more information and micro details. Vocals get noticeably clearer and higher in resolution; they also get wider and fuller in body, creating a bigger headroom and ambiance. Typically, when making the vocals fuller and wider, it’s natural for the sound to be less dense and diluted in tone – yet one of the strongest features of Xerxes is the texture density. The sound gets packed with density, making the timbre even deeper and nuanced. The bass also has that organic copper timbre, yet it doesn’t sound plain or ‘organic in a boring way’.
While Xerxes has the familiar copper-conductor behaviors, it shows a lot of finesse in both timbre and texture. Perhaps that’s why many references are being made to Eletech Ode to Luara – one of the most popular flagship copper cables. It’s common to think copper cables boost lows and subdue the upper-ends, though this is also where Xerxes stands out. Xerxes has a very well-balanced sound signature, making audible improvements throughout the spectrum, evenly covering the lows/mids/highs. Bass deepens in tone and extension, though the quantities don’t get boosted from the cable end. Upper ends gain spatial headroom and tonal finesse, and lastly, Xerxes offers the level of separation you’d expect from these price tags.
Next Page: IEM Pairing with Flagship IEMs (AuR Alicante / Faith Audio Labs E1000 / PlusSound Allegro II)