You’re probably thinking to yourself: oh no, Crinacle’s doing cable reviews! The world is ending!

Well fret not, Effect Audio is simply branching out into the IEM world. They have traditionally been a boutique cable company and has been around for as long as I can remember. Probably a decade or more I believe. Now they’ve established themselves as one of the most well-known boutique cable brands on the market, even partnering with brands like Empire Ears and Jomo Audio as the provider of their stock cables.

It’s no surprise that the Symphony and the King Arthur aren’t their first rodeo; the more seasoned of you may remember the Genesis, a highly limited collaboration between Effect Audio and Jomo Audio with only 15 units existing around the world. Or perhaps you may remember the Arthur, which was basically a Zeus with the internal wiring swapped out for Effect Audio’s.

The Symphony is an IEM that’s part of Effect Audio’s “Twin” lineup, alongside the Sonata, and manufactured by an undisclosed collaborator. On the other hand, the King Arthur is a continued collaboration with Empire Ears to create their own branded IEM flagship, but nothing in their marketing materials seem to indicate that Empire Ears were involved. An interesting detail that may indicate that Empire Ears are involved in a more OEM-type capacity rather than a true partnership.

So Effect Audio, seems that you’ve entered my turf. Let’s see how your IEMs fare.