Sound Impressions: How does the Zeus II sound?
Zeus II has the essentials of a good TOTL custom cable—noticeable performance boost, unique charm, and those characteristics appearing consistently across various IEMs and sound signatures. The first thing that caught my attention was the improved extension across the range, from lows to highs. Lows get deeper and resolving, though the important part is that Zeus II doesn’t much boost the quantity. Instead, Zeus II makes the bass thicker in tone and density. Vocals sound sweeter and significantly livelier. Upper frequencies gain a velvety, refined texture with stellar separation.
Since Zeus II doesn’t boost the bass quantity too much, IEMs that will match well with Zeus II would be those that are thick, neutral, or warm. Neutral or neutral-bright IEMs work well too, but under the condition that the IEMs don’t have shouty or sibilant elements for the mid-highs. For example, Alpha&Omega Fulgrim matches beautifully with Zeus II despite the IEMs’ sound signature being neutral bright. For upper frequencies, there’s a slight boost in quantity and brightness, but this is very subtle and will match well with neutral-bright IEMs.
Paired with PMG Audio Apx SE (Review link)
Zeus II maximizes the meticulous timbre that Apx SE designed its sound with its flagship-tier stock cable. The first major change that caught my ears were the significantly cleaner background. The Apx SE is already known for its clean, quiet, black-pitched background, though pairing Apx SE with Zeus II woke me up to discover an even quieter, cleaner presentation. Being able to better present the ‘absence of sound’ brings you to immerse yourself even deeper into the music, along with the music sounding much livelier. Zeus II thickens the tone color, making the sound clearer through improving timbre, not by boosting quantities. The great part is that the new timbre created through Zeus II is built upon the original timbre to reinforce, and not by switching up the sound to be a completely different timbre.
The meaty and dynamic bass diving straight into the ultra lows with clarity is one of Apx SE’s strengths. Zeus II further clarifies the bass tone without shifting away from the original timbre or quantity. The bass tone is better in focus, as well as the smoother texture that doesn’t degrade the resolution. The deepening of the tone also makes the vocals sound fuller, deeper, and smoother. It’s not to a drastic extent, though it’s a subtle yet significant change. It nicely compensates for the graininess that some commented on from Apx SE’s vocals, which would be good news for those who were looking to gently smooth out the mids, all while preserving the clarity and resolution. Trebles also gain body and refined texture without brightening the trebles or causing fatigue.
Paired with FIR Audio Xenon 6 (Review link)
Big bass and roomy mids, those two are perhaps the strongest elements that could be found in the Xenon 6. Though from time to time, especially when listening to live concerts or atmospheric tracks, from time to time, the vocals and instruments sound congested – or at least it could be better compared to the recent TOTLs. Pairing Zeus II gives that extra leap that Xenon 6 could make great use of. Transitioning from the stock 8-braid cable to the Zeus II transforms the vocals to sound full-bodied and thick in tone. The big bass and its taking the main attention remains the same, so the Xenon 6 + Zeus II combo sound signature stays very coherent from the original cable.
Above all, the mid-range turns expansive and immersive, which empowers the vocals with better presence. The mids and highs are also improved in tonal clarity, making a similar magic as shown from the above Apx SE + Zeus II combo – offering cleaner and clearer presentation while not altering the IEM’s original sound signature. Since Xenon 6’s sound emphasis is focused on the lower-end resonance and thickness, the upper-end expansion is the perfect facelift that Xenon 6 could be using.
Next Page: Compared to Zeus OG & Eletech Sonnet of Adam / Verdicts