Dynamic Link Speed Injection – Audience Studio One Headphone Cable
Audience Studio One is a $950 USD cable for headphones, customized based on the Speaker variant that we’ve reviewed recently, and this was made custom just for me to see how the experience of listening to Susvara Unveiled and Susvara improves using Audience’s magical cables. Today we will review the Studio One for Headphones, and see how it compares to other high-end cables including the LavriCable Grand Silver V2 (610 USD).
Introduction
Audience was not joking when they said that they can customize everything about your order, so that got me thinking – if the cables they make are ultra transparent, have a low impedance, and can improve the sound dramatically for speakers, what would such a speaker cable do for a high-end pair of headphones? So I got in touch with Audience and we got thinking, what if we customized the Studio One for HIFIMAN’s High-End headphones, and here we are, behold one of the most insane ideas that we’ve seen in the cable world, but potentially one of the best sounding too.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audience has provided the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4n0W7th
Official Website – https://audience-av.com/cables/studio-one/
Build Quality / Design
Audience Studio One is one of the best cables designed by Audience despite not being the most expensive one. We actually have covered the cable technical data already in our Written Review exploring the Audience Studio One Cable for Speakers.
To re-iterate a bit, this is one of the main cables used in high-end recording and production studios across the world, and it has a wide, dynamic sound, being processed through an Extreme High Voltage Process or EHVP, a proprietary process that drives very high voltages through the cables, in the range of 800.000 volts, doing a rather ultimate burn-in process.
Studio One is also a low-mass cable, which is why I thought it could be used for headphones, and it is also directional, but with headphones you cannot connect it both ways, as there is a single jack for the source and two jacks for the headphones. Although this seemed like one of the best ideas at the time, the result is great, but not perfect. Studio One is still not quite as flexible as you’d want for headphones, it is a bit springy, and quite hard for portables. This results in quite a bit of strain being placed on the jack connector of the headphones and the source.
This being said, the variation I got is also long enough so that you wouldn’t take this on the street. To be honest, I think that OHNO III which I currently am working on reviewing for speaker cables might fare better as it is more flexible and less rigid still. You can see from my photos that Studio One does not bend more than a certain degree, which makes it more adequate for speakers, where you don’t move at all, than for headphones, where you may move quite a bit. While using it at the desk, it is microphonic and a bit rigid, but I work in writing and programming so I mostly sit at my desk without moving that much, so I don’t hear much of the issue.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the Audience Studio One, I have used multiple sources including Aune S17 PRO Evo connected to Rose Technics RT-5000, HIFIMAN Serenade, Singxer SA-1 V2 driven by FiiO K9 PRO ESS DAC. The main headphones used during the test have been HIFIMAN Susvara, HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled, SJY Horizon, Aune Audio SR7000, and iBasso SR3. With all those headphones, I noticed the same improvements for sound, but for all those headphones, the cable is a bit rigid and tight.
Overall Signature – Audience Studio One works as well for headphones as it does for speakers, and in fact it seems to improve headphones exactly as much, low intensity, low voltage and low current signals can take advantage of the low mass of the Studio One cable, and it has a very transparent, highly resolving signature, with extremely acute dynamics, and a contrasty, colorful image. It emphasizes soundstage width and depth, it enhances the perception of speed and does it all without making the sound dry and fatiguing, instead it allows it to be rich and transparent. Overall, it is one of the most dynamic, least compressed sounding cables on the market, allowing you to enjoy both modern music like metal and rock, EDM and dubstep, but also more vintage styles, classical, orchestral and slower music too.
Tonality – I noticed no big changes in tonality when using the Audience studio one, as it is a highly transparent cable, although compared to most cables, as most have a slight warming effect, I would say that it might feel like it brightens and opens up the sound. Especially female voices and guitar solos will be more colorful, more vivid, more realistic, more lively, while male voices will present more emotion and less grain. It is interesting that in the bass, it seems to tighten things up a bit, creating a sound that is fast and revealing, while in the treble it enhances the extension and resolution. Depending on what you’re comparing its sound with, Audience studio one is quite a bit more transparent and brighter than the default cables of Susvara and Susvara Unveiled, but compared to other cables like LavriCables Grand Silver V2, it sounds similar in tonality, maybe a touch more dynamic and a touch brighter too.
Dynamics / PRaT / Textures – If brightness is a characteristic that sounds threatening, I have to allow you to relax now, because studio one has zero grain, zero fatigue, it is just transparent and revealing without all of the hard edges. Textures out of the Studio One are rich, natural, and with a natural amount for all instruments, it does not emphasize textures if there aren’t any to begin with, but it does not smooth out textures either. Overall, revealing, crisp and natural / organic are good words to describe the sound of the Studio One
Soundstage – I feel like Studio One really enhances and reveals the soundstage of a setup, it gives music brilliance, clarity and punch, it enhances instrument separation, clarity and width, depth and even layering. Especially on more sensitive headphones like Susavara Unveiled, the effect is easily audible, and although that is a pair of headphones that works really well with most sources, it feels like using a high-end cable in between really opens up and helps reveal the wider, more holographic sound they can produce. While it won’t make the more dramatic Unveiled as wide and deep as the original Susvara, it surely can enhance the way they present spatial information and give them a stronger imaging, and add more contrast in between instruments.
Comparisons
Audience Studio One vs LavriCable Grand Silver V2 (950 USD vs 610 USD) – Not considering the price difference, there is a rather noticeable difference in the flexibility of each cable, Grand silver V2 is rather thin, flexible, it does not conduct microphonic noise. Both companies will use high-quality connectors and parts, but Grand Silver V2 is more practical for headphones and it feels on Studio One that it is a speaker cable used for headphones.
Sonically though, Studio One can achieve a higher transmittance and transparency, it reveals more information, it creates a wider, more holographic soundstage with more contrast between instruments. Those two cables have a similar tonality, although Studio One has a tighter bass and a brighter treble, sounding more open in general.
Value and Conclusion
While the price of the Studio One being close to 1000 USD, it is a good idea to purchase it for flagship headphones, and while it can have significant improvements for any system, it will reveal most of its potential with high-end, flagship headphones. It has performance that is incredible, but a price to match.
At the end of the day, Audience created a cable that not just improves a headphone, but enhances it, reveals all of its potential, both for the headphones and the DAC/AMP combo, it is excellent sonically in ways that makes it worth using it despite the higher rigidity than most headphone cables have. For me, it is so nice in sound that I plan on using it for all flagship headphones that can use the 3.5mm connector at the headphone side.
PROs
- Sound is so incredible that it feels like it significantly improves the headphones it is connected
- Highly transparent with no tonality changes
- Highly dynamic, punchy and contrasty sound
- Wide, holographic soundstage
- Exceptional resolution and transmittance
- Sonically, it is impressive and very good
Cons
- Price can be high if you don’t have flagship headphones already
- Quite rigid, it is made for speakers after all
- Microphonic, not idea if you move a lot
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4n0W7th
Official Website – https://audience-av.com/cables/studio-one/
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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