Ares Audio is a boutique cable maker based in Singapore. They do build-to-order cables for headphones, earphones and speaker systems alike and have been doing this for nearly a year now. Ares Audio is a well-known name in the Singapore audio community and is obvious why. Today, we will be looking at YUKI, which is a 5N Silver with 6N OCC copper – simply put, an SPC cable. This is the first time I am reviewing products from Ares Audio and I am very excited to deliver my thoughts on this product to you.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Ares Audio in any way and do not benefit monetarily or in any other form for writing this review. Ares Audio sent the Yuki over to us as a loaner unit. The opinions on the product are solely our own and Ares Audio did not in any way or form influence us to say anything positive about the product.
Thank you, Marcus and HaiEn for this opportunity to review your products!
Review by: “Charlie” from The Little Audiophile
Yuki Retail Price (at time of writing): S$195
THE PACKAGING
I have owned numerous boutique cables made by DIY-ers here in Singapore. Ranging from SPCs to hybrids. At any price point, the packaging has pretty much always been status quo – a fairly large drawstring pouch with the Ares Audio logo printed and the cable itself. Ares Audio here has included a nifty little name card which truly shows their commitment to their work.
What you get is honestly very ample, considering that you would probably be placing your IEMs in a hard case anyways. Plus it helps bring down the overall cost.
BUILD AND DESIGN
A good IEM needs a decent cable to go with it. The YUKI is more than just a mere “decent” – pfft. Build quality here is immaculate. Fantastic even. This cable comes in an 8-core braid, measuring at 1.25 m (49.21 inches). The braiding is relatively tight for a hand-braid while also being very even throughout the length of the entire cable. This might be the most well-crafted DIY cable I have ever tried.
The 3.5mm plug is another behemoth when it comes to build quality. By simply tapping on it, I could hear (and feel) how dense this plug was. I really like how the design strays away from the more commonly found carbon-fiber jack that has become all too common these days. In YUKI’s case, this helps in the overall cohesiveness in the design that Ares Audio is going for. The Y-split is a generic black carbon fiber split with a disc-shaped chin-cinch which adds a very pleasing contrast to the overall aesthetics. I can imagine that if the Y-split and chin-cinch were also silver, it would make the design of the YUKI that much more mundane, IMO.
Coming down to the jacks, I have my unit terminated in an MMCX connector. It comes in a metallic housing with a very short heat-shrink to loop over your ears. I have found this heat-shrink to be slightly pliable and can be slightly molded to contour your ears. Overall, this slightly aids with wearing comfort.
Now, onto the not-so-good part of the cable, which is its stiffness. It might be due to the sheer number of wires that is causing this but the wire is definitely on the stiffer side. There is a noticeable amount of microphonics and another quirk about this cable is that you can literally hear the mechanical movements on your source translated to your IEMs, i.e vibration from your phone upon an incoming message, or simply pressing the power button on your device. I would NOT recommend using this cable on your phone, though it should jive well with a DAP or DAC.
SOUND QUALITY
Note: Sound Quality was tested with the iBasso IT01 and IT03, Fatfreq Eden and Tin Audio T2 (because why not) on my Astell & Kern AK Jr with Fiio A5 Stacked
Being an upgrade cable, it does bring some improvements to the overall sound quality of the IEM. Starting off with soundstage, the YUKI does push it out further and gives a more holographic effect to this staging. No doubt, vocals and take on a less intimate presentation and in essence becomes more natural. Improvements to imaging are not very noticeable though. YUKI is a clean sounding cable which improves the technicalities of the IEM it is paired to, pair this with a quickened attack and decay makes for an improvement in the overall detail retrieval capabilities. I found that YUKI adds a tad bit of weight and “fat” to the overall sound, thanks to the increase in bass response. Despite being an SPC cable, this sound isn’t overly aggressive or bright which I really appreciate.
Bass
There is a slight bump up in the bass response with the YUKI. The Fatfreq Eden Prime, for example, is on the neutral-er side of the spectrum. With this cable, The bump in the bass response helps make the sound signature more energetic and adds weight to the overall sound. There is a subtle yet noticeble bump in the mid-bass as compared to sub-bass presence which doesn’t feel sluggish or bloated by any means.
Mids
Mids are less intimate and noticeably airier, resulting in a more natural vocal presentation alongside a faster attack and decay. There is a slight echo-ey or reverb effect that comes with the cable which imitates a large concert hall in some sense. This effect isn’t to a very great degree but depending on your preference, you may or may not like this effect. I personally like it a lot for live albums such as John Mayer’s “Where the light is”.
Trebles
Treble details are improved with the YUKI, albeit being slightly smoothed. There is a lower degree of treble peaks, especially in the lower-treble regions. Treble extension is also note-worthy and again delivers a more airy presentation.
PAIRING
I found that YUKI pairs well well with less bassy IEMs as this cable tends to introduce a slight U-shape to the sound signature and is very pleasing to the ear if you aren’t aiming for a neutral listen. The treble extension qualities of YUKI would also compliment IEMs with early treble roll-offs well.
I would also recommend using this cable with a highly resolving source as it is capable of some impressive detail retrieval.
CONCLUSION
The Ares Audio YUKI aces in the sound quality department. Paired with commendable build quality and workmanship makes this a considerable choice when shopping for a new cable. I must say that microphonics and stiffness do work to its detriment here, but as long as you use this mainly with a DAP or DAC, you should be fine for the most part. You can drop by Zeppelin & Co. to try this cable out for yourselves if you like, or check out Ares Audio’s Instagram Page if you would like to find out more about their products and services. That’s all for now and see you in the next one!
THE LITTLE AUDIOPHILE 