The Effect Audio Cadmus II cable was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the Cadmus II is $249 and you can buy it from HiFiGo.
Effect Audio
Effect Audio is a Singapore based company that was founded back in 2009 by Suyang and specializes in making high quality earphone cables. Their products have earned numerous prestigious awards by the specialized press and the wide acceptance of the audiophile community. The company also makes various accessories and two earphones, the Axiom and the Pilgrim Noir.
Effect Audio Signature series II cables
Effect Audio’s Signature series was launched back in 2022 to serve as their most affordable range of cables. The series consisted of three models, the Ares, the Cadmus and the Eros. These models received various upgrades through the years and they have now evolved to form the Signature II series.
The Ares II, Cadmus II and Eros II are enhanced with solid cores, a new alloy and geometries, as well as various other ergonomic and aesthetic improvements. The new generation is now lighter and sleeker thanks to Effect Audio’s Ergonomic Performance Optimization, while the Y-split design has evolved into a more refined look (30% sleeker), enhancing both comfort and visual appeall.
You can read more about the Effect Audio Signature II cables here.
Effect Audio Cadmus II
The Effect Audio Cadmus II is a 26AWG 8-wire, handwoven IEM cable that features silver-plated UP-OCC copper with a central solid core. The Cadmus II is the first cable in the Signature II series to introduce the company’s solid core technology, derived from the Code series. Compared to traditional multi-stranded designs, solid core material uses a single, continuous conductor, eliminating gaps that can cause resistance and signal loss especially at higher frequencies, thus improving conductivity.
The Cadmus II is equipped with Effect Audio’s ConX technology that allows the user to easily swap the top-end connectors. The available options to choose from are 2-pin, MMCX, Pentaconn ear, IPX and A2FC, essentially covering all possible connections. The Signature II cables are sold with 2-pin connectors as a standard but you can choose your favorite one for $25 extra or buy the TermX bundle that includes both 2-pin and MMCX connectors as well as 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4mm interchangeable terminations.
Build quality, handling and accessories
The Effect Audio Cadmus II is a hand crafted and weaved cable, a procedure that requires considerably more time than machine production but rewards its owner with a cable that is considerably softer and easier to handle. Truly enough, the Cadmus II might be thicker and heavier than the average cable but it is surprisingly soft and bends easily without getting tangled or losing its shape.
The pre-formed ear-hooks are a little stiff but I haven’t had much trouble adjusting them to fit the shape of my ear and secure the earphones in place. During use you can feel the extra weight hanging down but the robust construction of the cable helps to reduce friction noise which is exceptionally low. The outer insulation is flexible and looks like it can withstand the yellowing effect over time.
The Cadmus II is an exceptionally well made and durable cable with high quality plugs and a newly designed Y-splitter that has a multi-angled design and a forged carbon fibre at its middle part, stuffed with silver speckles.
The cable comes packed inside a classy and well designed cardboard box where it is wrapped around a structure that looks like a strand. However, a carrying pouch would be much more useful than this fancy but rather useless pack.
Listening impressions
The review sample came with 2-pin connectors and a 3.5mm plug so I ended up using it with the Chord Mojo 2 and various earphones like the Juzear Dragonfly 81T, the IO Audio Sogno and the ISN H60.
This is a high fidelity and sonically transparent cable that doesn’t mess with the frequency response of the earphones because it doesn’t act like some kind of a passive equaliser. All earphones I have tested with the Cadmus II cable retained their unique sound characteristics but they seemed to gain an extra bit in clarity and definition while their sound became more textured.
Going back and forth with the stock cables, the Cadmus II sounded as adding more weight and thickness to the low end while respecting – if not highlighting – their technical capabilities. The treble is sparkling and energetic – as far as the earphones can reach – without sounding strident or sharp while the mid-range is clean and articulate without losing its original timbre qualities. The Cadmus II also gave the impression that it opened up the soundstage and improved its imaging precision, while it helped with separation and detail extraction without making the sound analytical.
As always please note that cable evaluations are extremely subjective and gear dependent, so your impressions might considerably differ from what you have read here.
In the end
The Effect Audio Cadmus II is an exceptionally well made and easy to handle IEM cable that is a pleasure to use while it looks great. It has low friction noise and is equipped with Effect Audio’s ConX technology that allows to swap the top-end connectors. A high quality cable that can offer various sonic improvements over most stock cables and is worth considering as an aftermarket option when they are not up to the task or fall short in certain areas.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2025.
+ Very well made and beautiful looking
+ Robust and durable construction
+ High quality splitter and plugs
+ Bends easily and doesn't lose shape
+ Low friction noise
+ Interchangeable top-end connectors
+ Can offer various sonic improvements over stock cables
- Slightly heavy and thick
- The ear-hooks are a little stiff
- A carrying pouch is not included
- The TermX connector bundle costs $80 extra
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