Zikman Rhine IEM Cable Review – Engineering Of Conductor Prowess
Zikman Rhine is a $383 USD / 329 Euro cable for IEMs with a 7N OCC Pure copper construction, designed for the audiophiles who demand the highest performance from a pure copper conductor. Today we will review the Zikman Rhine and compare it briefly with other cables from the same price range.
Introduction
Zikman Audio is a new company in the audio world, but they’ve been gather a rather faithful fan base having excellent communication and great products with strong quality, but as our first review exploring one of their products, this will be a dive not just to explore the quality of their cable, but also how they approach audio as a company.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/47mTnzC
Official Link – https://zikman.audio/product/zikman-rhine/
Build Quality – Design
Zikman offers multiple connector options for their Rhine cable, starting with the IEM connector, and the list includes 2-Pin, QDC, MMCX, Pentaconn, and even IPX for the connector list. The plug list includes a 4.4mm plug, 3.5mm single ended and 2.5mm balanced plugs available for the rhine. The name Rhine comes from one of Europe’s largest rivers, and the cable itself features an 8-Wire configuration of ultra-pure 7N OCC Ohno continuous cast copper, widely regarded as the finest grade of OFC copper available. This is very similar to the inner construction and cable material of the Audience OHNo series of cables. Each conductor strand is composed of 130 Ultra-thin Wires of 0.05mm, optimising signal transmission and reducing resistance.
Rhine features a sleek and flexible outer jacket with microphonic-resistant insulation, and contacts are rhodium plates for maximum signal purity and corrosion resistance. Each connection is hand soldered with high-grade silver solder for maximum audio fidelity. There are no L and R markings on the cable, but there is a tactile indicator on the right connector.
I have a very classic variant of 2-Pin with a 4.4mm balanced jack connector, and the cable itself is super flexible, feels well-made, and if I am not mistaken you can customize the length slightly. This is an important detail because for example my daily Moritz Audio enzo have a slightly too short cable for my needs, and with Rhine, it is exactly the same, but you can go for a slightly longer variant if you need, just make sure to contact Zikman Cables ahead of time to ask for info. Braiding on the Rhine is nice and consistent, and I should mention that only the 4.4mm jack is Rhodium plated, the 2-Pin connectors are gold plated instead. Zikman Branding is embedded in the jack connector, not just painted over.
Overall, I enjoy the craftsmanship, the cable is fairly resistant to microphonic and handling noise, it feels well made, and there are flexible ear guides that keep it coiled around my ears. On the downside, the Y Split is incredibly heavy and large, and it pulls on the IEMs a bit, unless it is resting on my chest. If you had a Rhodium plated connector before, you will know this already, but it is surprising to new users that if you turn the 4.4mm jack in the source, it loses signal and that’s a disadvantage for Rhodium plated connectors.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired Zikman Rhine with multiple IEMs and Earphones, and the list includes Moritz Audio Enzo, Moritz Audio Dragon, SoftEars RSV-MKII, TangZu TianPeng, ZiiGaat Luna, Unique Melody MEST Jet Black, Letshuoer Mystic 8, KBEar Cepheus, and NfAcous NA20. Zikman Rhine has standard connectors and pairs well with all IEMs in this list, while for the source list I’ve been using Luxsin X9, FiiO K17, ibasso D17 and Surfans F35. It works well with all sources, but you have to keep in mind that the signal will be in and out if you turn the jack in the source connector, an effect that will happen with all sources because the cable uses Rhodium plated connectors.
Overall Signature – Zikman Rhine is a fairly transparent sounding cable with an open signature, bright treble, full and choky sounding bass, fluid and smooth textures, and with a focus on instrument separation and less focus on soundstage spread or scattering. It is detailed and brings forward a smoother, more fluid and more musical tuning than the default cable for Moritz Audio Enzo, but it also thins the sound and brightens it a bit. There’s a really strong lateral separation in the midrange and imaging is top notch. Overall, it is a slightly gentle, slightly bright and emotional sounding cable.
Tonality – While all cables will look flat on a graph, they all influence the tuning a bit, and ZikmanRhine gives the upper midrange a more central spot in my music, it gives music less bloom, less warmth and less boominess, filters out the muddiness in songs, but this has the effect of brightening the response of each song. This works really well for female voices, which Rhine makes really enjoyable, more present and forward, but it pulls male voices a bit, creating a slightly bright tune for the whole cable. Treble and especially upper treble is revealed well, while bass is dampened a bit, especially the ~100 Hz muddy parts in the mid bass, while sub bass is a bit choky, full, deep and warm. This response exaggerates the U-Shaped presentation of most IEMs, but balances midrange forward and vocal sounding IEMS, giving them more space for instruments to breathe.
Dynamics and Textures – All cables influence textures slightly, and Zikman Rhine is a smoother, more juicy, more emotional sounding cable that gives music a free flow, less grain, damping the fatiguing parts in songs, slightly reducing the analytical character of all IEMS, giving them a musical, slightly more fluid presentation. Dynamic range is natural, there’s no compression but no dynamic exaggeration effect either. Rhine is rather fun for most music styles, and for IEMS with an exaggerated treble, it helps having a smoother texture, it is not exaggeratedly smooth, just a tiny bit smoother, enough to relax fatiguing sounding IEMS a bit.
Soundstage – Zikman made the Rhine precise and with a strong imaging, clean separation, and with a low scattering effect. This means that the soundstage is not spread more than default, it is not exaggerated, but rather it gives music a clean layering and better definition. Combined with the smoother texture, this creates the perfect ambient for rock, metal, especially symphony and orchestral rock and metal. As the cable is not very warm sounding, it is less adequate for jazz and classical music, but it works well with pop and EDM.
Value and Conclusion
For the around 400 USD price point, you can have a high-end cable, a purchase that mostly makes sense for high-end IEMs and Earphones, but a welcome purchase nonetheless if you want to add this type of tuning for your IEMs. As with most cables in this price point, the pairings and synergy is the most important aspect for your purchase, make sure to grab a cable that works well with your current IEMS, for example the tuning is really good for Moritz Audio Enzo and SoftEars RSV-MKII, but not ideal for Letshuoer Mystic 8 which is already smooth enough and bright enough.
At the end of the day, I really like the craftsmanship and communication of the Zikman Audio company, they are excellent to work with and I hope we will review more products from them and that they will stay in business for a long time. If you’re looking for a high-end built cable, based on the OhNo conductor set, I fully recommend the Zikman Rhine for a slightly open, slightly bright, but fluid and gentle – emotional sound, good connectors and reliable build quality.
PROs
- Nice build quality, based on the OhNo copper structure
- Good braiding that eliminates microphonic and handling noise
- Universal connectors, work well with all IEMs I tried it with
- Fun and simple
- Can be customized
- Really strong support from the company
- Gentle and open sound
- Strong instrument separation and layering
- Detailed without sounding analytical, harsh or fatiguing
Cons
- Not modular, needs to be ordered with the right connectors
- As it opens and brightens up the sound, you need to make sure you want this effect for your IEMs
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/47mTnzC
Official Link – https://zikman.audio/product/zikman-rhine/
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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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