Upgrade cables, ahhh… the audiophile’s wallet eating predator. Cables have always been a big part of audio, different cables churning out different shaping and deliverance of tonalities, and as cables get better, the price gets higher. Though prices jack up for good reasons; performance, durability, aesthetics, a true audiophile’s cable porn dream! Right as of this moment, as an audiophile, one can go crazy with all the many cables available in the market. Custom in-ear monitors and in-ear earphones are one of the most cable-rolled portable audiophile gear aside from interconnects. One can even say that CIEMs (Custom In-Ear Monitors) and IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) are cable upgraded probably more than headphones. I myself barely had an IEM or CIEM that adorned a stock cable for a long time, I find it a bottleneck of true potential. Anyways, one of my favorite cable brands as they create extremely beautiful and amazing sounding cables for a not so crazy price is Double Helix Cables, or commonly known as DHC for short. I have with me the DHC Symbiote Fusion V2 CIEM upgrade cable and it’s simply fantastic!
The Double Helix Cables Symbiote Fusion V2 is a hybrid cable composing of Pure OCC silver + Pure OCC copper. Yes, that’s a type 4 Litz hybrid of silver and copper. The cable composition is done with a DHC proprietary dampening core and then around it, alternating 3 silver bundles and 3 copper bundles. It is the most compact and ergonomic cable that DHC has ever created! DHC for me probably is one of the best in craftsmanship with their cables. I have never ever seen any DHC cable which is not beautiful outside, and a beast inside. The craftsmanship of Peter Bradstock is truly top-notch, no issues, no flaws, all made with precision! The cables look like fine pieces of jewelry to be honest. The sound quality is ensured that it is up to par with the looks! I can easily tell that yes, it does!
Sound Quality: The DHC Symbiote Fusion V2 that I have has been auditioned on all my CIEMs and IEMs to be able to give my best thought on them. I’ve used them primarily with the Vision-Ears VE6 Xcontrol and Vision-Ears VE5 as these are one of the bests in the CIEM world. Being the top of the line CIEM that it is, the Vision-Ears VE6 Xcontrol is already stellar on its own. Having upgraded the stock cable to pure silver and have auditioned it with other cables, it was time to put the DHC Symbiote Fusion V2 to the test. Using a pure silver cable which was definitely hard to beat even when I rolled a dozen cables to find the best for the VE6XC, it was undoubtedly brought down its thrown by the DHC Symbioted Fusion V2. First of all, the pure silver gave the VE6XC tremendous addition to soundstage, air extension on both ends, imaging and instrument separation, control on bass slam, and smoothing out of the minds and giving more realism. Apparently, the DHC Symbiote Fusion did this all with bigger grandeur! Soundstage was not limited to expansiveness, the height was definitely given much attention and sounstage expansiveness was 3D and not just width.
Midrange of the VE6XC and VE5 were both given rawness that even the puckering of lips were easily noticeable. Every micro detail wasn’t just shown better, they were given presence and soul each. Even the simple pluck of a guitar and puckering of lips gave a bodied and detailed presentation. Vocals were given the raw natural power that when singers that truly belt out, do belt out high and powerful notes, it can give a spine tingling experience as the emotions and sheer power is drawn out in a grand presentation. Treble gives out great sparks and accuracy. Hi-hats and crashes have their realistic lingering notes and don’t roll-off abruptly. Extension is improved and also smoothened out, even when treble energy is high and aggressive, the tones are kept just below peaking. Sudden treble attacks also don’t give off glare even with the detail and sparkle they gain. Bass impact gains control and authority. Authority in the way of slam, and control in keeping the bass extension and decay from bloating, excessive boom, and from slow decay that can slow the overall sound down. What I like about the bass improvement using the DHC Symbiote Fusion is the way that it can command bass when needed, and tame it down if uncalled for, plus the fact that it helps to make the overall bass sound similar to a dynamic driver than a balanced armature driver. Oh and did I mention the cable looks beautiful just as how it is a beast in performance? Yuuuup!
Overall, the DHC Symbiote Fusion V2 is currently my favorite CIEM/IEM cable as it really does make everything better in a very grand presentation with barely any cons as the marriage of the silver and copper are perfectly intertwined to bring out the pros of both materials. With a beautiful cable like this with top-notch quality with a beast’s power in sound, it is very difficult to beat. Add in the competitive starting price of $339, around $200 cheaper than the competition, and tell me if you won’t go for Double Helix Cables. The options for 3D printing metal for the connectors and splitter is also a great touch for those who want to push better aesthetics, a service not offered by others. My DHC Symbiote Fusion V2 actually adorns a 3D printed rose gold y-splitter, beautiful isn’t it? Upgrade to Double Helix Cables now! Don’t waste your money on more expensive cables that aren’t as beautiful and as fantastic sounding as DHC’s cables, one of the best tips I could give you. Check-put Double Helix Cables’ website below for ordering and further info.
