I first encountered Beat Audio cables during our recent EU meet-up in Amsterdam in March when one of the other guys brought along a whole selection of them. The whole range uses bold colours, which may not be to everyone’s taste, but visually they leave you in no doubt you are looking at a Beat Audio cable!
A colourful range of cables also come in a full range of prices and as I check the Musicteck site now, prices start at $599 for the Emerald MKIII all the way up to $7299 for the 8-wire flagship “Orbit Saga”.
The cable I am reviewing here is the 8-wire Cyclone, which Musicteck sells for $1399. A 4-wire version is also available for $899.
Cyclone is an OCC copper-based cable that also embeds a silver/ copper core. You can read more of Beat Audio’s marketing description of the cable's construction on the Musicteck
site or their own site
here.
Cyclone has one of the more subtle visual designs in the range with copper-coloured cores that have a slight speckle running through them. The hardware is light and nicely designed and has a bronze colour to it. The cable feels very well built, and it has to be the most supple 8-wire cable I have encountered.
It is very easy to wear, doesn’t get caught in anything and is light enough that it doesn’t disturb the fit of your IEMs if you are moving about with it. I have some 4-wire cables that are heavier and less ergonomic so I am very impressed with the overall design.
When I heard Cyclone for the first time in Amsterdam, it was after a long day of trying many of the god-tier cables that are available today. Many of these cables obviously provide a very clear and detailed listening experience so when I listened to Cyclone, I found it to sound quite coloured in comparison.
Like everything, though, it really depends on your reference point, and when I picked one up for myself and compared it to some of the other copper cables I have here, I didn’t find it any more or less coloured than you would expect from a high-quality copper cable.
I have spent a lot of time comparing this cable against the other cables I own in a similar price bracket. What you are going to read below are just my opinions based on my hearing, tastes, and previous experience. You may disagree with them, and that’s fine, but just treat them as one opinion.
Fir Audio XE6
Using my XE6 and the Hiby RS8 to test, I compare Cyclone with the EA Fusion 1 and my Khanyayo Cardas Clear cable.
EA Fusion 1
Listening to “
Brother” from the Alice in Chains Unplugged Album (Vol 41/ Low Gain/ Class A/Turbo mode on)
In hand, both cables feel about the same size, but Cyclone is lighter and more supple. Both cables can be quite “bling” when they catch the right light.
After listening to “Brother” several times using both cables, I noticed a few very clear differences. Neither cable stretched the soundstage as wide as I have heard it with other cables listening to this track, but both do a decent job of spreading the instruments around you. Cyclone stretches it out a little further, though and instrument positions are more clearly defined.
There are clearer differences in how different parts of the frequency range are presented when using each cable. Higher frequencies with Fusion 1 sound a little rolled off. There isn’t the same extension in the treble, and as a result, there is a lack of a sense of air in the track.
Vocals sit further back in the mix, too. When it comes to bass and lower mids, Cyclone has more mid-bass quantity, and it feels like there is more impact from the Kinetic bass and sub-bass. Guitar notes sound more natural and detailed using Cyclone.
Overall, Cyclone is a technically better cable. Details, layering, and note definition are noticeably better than with Fusion 1, which can be on the edge of sounding muddy with XE6 at times.
Khanyayo Cardas Clear
With the Khanyayo cable being 4W it is smaller physically but there isn’t much difference in weight overall. Cyclone has better ergonomics though and is easier to manoeuvre and manipulate.
This was an interesting comparison and didn’t turn out the way I was expecting. Before I compared them directly, in my head I believed the Cyclone would be the warmer of the two.
It is not quite as straightforward as that, though. With Cyclone all notes carry more weight so when a kick drum hits, you hear and feel it more than with the Cardas Clear cable, but this carries across the rest of the frequency range, too so it is not just the lower frequencies being affected.
Stringed instruments, vocals, and cymbal crashes all have a little more intensity and are slightly more detailed, or at least you perceive them to be, with Cyclone.
When you swap back to the Cardas cable, the lower end sounds warmer with a slower decay but there is still a nice sense of space to the soundstage.
I listened to the tracks many times going back and forth between the cables and I lean towards preferring Cyclone as it does a better job of presenting the mids and treble through the bass-heavy tuning of XE6.
Kinera Loki (International Version)
I used my Hiby RS8 connected in line out to a Mass Kobo 475 for these comparisons. Volume was adjusted to suit each track and local Flac files were used.
I have my Kinera Loki paired with a Vortex Cables Lavinia. I find them to be a perfect match, as the cable allows Loki’s abilities to shine. I find Lavinia, in general, to elevate sub-bass levels; mid-bass is tightly controlled, and vocals come through crystal clear and detailed when paired with Loki.
Listening to “
Lose Control” by Teddy Swims, first with Lavinia, straight up it is the vocals that grab your attention. There is a huge amount of detail and the singer’s voice sounds very natural. The vocals are ahead of the instruments which play a supporting act.
Swapping over and listening with Cyclone, the vocals and instruments are more on an even playing field. There is more impact from the drums and the other instruments are more prominent than they were with Lavinia. My initial impressions of the vocals were that they sounded less natural with Cyclone but that’s possibly a consequence of the instruments coming more forward in the track.
Cyclone produces a more impactful listen with everything on an even footing whereas Lavinia brings focus to vocals in the track. In the end, it came down to what you wanted to focus on while listening. If you wanted to enjoy the vocal aspects of the track I would pick Lavinia. If you want to enjoy the track in totality, Cyclone helps deliver this better.
“
Killing in the Name” by Rage Against The Machine
When switching between Lavinia and Cyclone, small differences stand out. With Cyclone, the stage stretches out further in every direction, and the positioning of instruments is more precise. The more subtle details in the tracks stand out more, and the background seems blacker. The higher-pitched notes from the electric guitars are a little sharper, and I had to adjust the volume down a touch to my listening level with Lavinia.
Swapping over to Lavinia, there isn’t the same perception of detail and clarity, but it is a minor difference overall. Where Lavinia has the edge on Cyclone would be in the tactility of notes. There is more weight to the electric guitar notes, and it is more involving, so to me, it comes across as more life-like. It is splitting hairs between the two cables overall, though and will come down to what you value more in your listening experience.
Aroma Audio Fei Wan
I usually use my Cardas Clear cable with Fei Wan so I will be comparing Cyclone to it. I used my Cayin N3 Ultra in Tube Timbre in Line Out mode to my Mass Kobo 475 for the first test track.
“
Used to Say” by Don’t Blink.
This is a toe-tapping track with great female vocals that builds and drops several times throughout the track. I got lost in the music, going back and forth between these two cables while listening to this track. They both do an excellent job.
While subtle, there are some differences though. With Cyclone there are more details coming through in the track. From the small synth and cymbal sounds to the vocals and bass line. Everything sounds clearer and fuller with Cyclone compared to the Cardas Clear cable. When I swap between the cables, there is the sense of notes being a little rounded and less clearly defined with the Cardas cable, especially in the bass frequencies.
The soundstage stretches out further with Cyclone, too, and overall, it is a more engaging listen. There aren’t huge differences, but they are noticeable, especially when the track crescendos and you are presented with a lot of different sounds. The extra clarity and space make it sound more in control.
“
Queen of Ice (Nora En Pure Club Mix)” by Claptone/ Dizzy
I used my Hiby RS8 connected in line out to a Mass Kobo 475 for these comparisons. Volume was adjusted to suit each track, and a local Flac file was used.
I listened to the track with the Cardas Clear cable and then swapped to Cyclone. The first thing I picked up on was that the intro sounded more intense. There was more presence to the underlying tone and when the vocals came in, there was more clarity to them. It definitely seems like everything has a fuller, more resolving sound.
As the track progresses though, it is not all positive as some of the sounds become a little sharper and edge towards being too intense. Listening to the track with Cyclone it feels like everything has dialed up and stepped forward. For a lot of the track, this works and the extra detail is very noticeable but some of the higher frequency notes can hit a little too intensely.
Overall I preferred the track with Cyclone but careful volume management was required considering the external amp was being used.
Conclusion
I’ve been really impressed with the Beat Audio Cyclone since I picked one up. The ergonomics of the cable are superb. It is so light you barely feel you are wearing it, and is really easy to move and reposition. The quality of the materials used is also on point, and I would have no concerns about how the cable will hold up over time.
From a sound point of view, the cable is also very impressive. The darker background it helps create allows sounds to stand out in a clear and more detailed fashion. While bass texture and impact stand out with the cable, it also has an effect across the whole frequency range, which enhances detail and allows all the different sounds in a track to come forward and be enjoyed.
Like any cable, I have found it to work better with some IEMs and sources than with others, but when you find the right pairing, it is an excellent cable in its price range.
The Beat Audio Cyclone 8-wire is available from
Musicteck now.
