ORFF THE EARL HEADPHONE CABLE REVIEW
Orff The Earl is a headphone cable costing £1480. In this review, HiFi PiG’s headphone specialist Oscar Stewart takes a listen.
Orff Cables is a UK-based company comprising a team that used to manufacture speaker cables. They have now switched their focus to the portable audio market, creating IEM cables with a keen eye for craftsmanship and engineering.
The Earl, being reviewed here, is their second cable launch; they are quite a small company, and their first model, Elizabeth, was released last year. This cable retails at £1480, which is the same price as their first cable (which has now sold out). This is by no means a cheap upgrade; however, cables like this are designed to last, while also providing a noticeable boost in sound quality.
I am fully aware cables are a contentious subject at the best of times, so enjoy this review.
BUILD QUALITY AND FEATURES OF THE NAME OF THE EARL
Starting off with the build quality. Well, what do you expect for the price? It is a lovely cable, both aesthetically and build-wise. You get perfectly machined aluminium housings for the 4.4mm balanced jack, Y-splitter, and IEM connector, which features an interchangeable head (2-pin/MMCX were included with this sample). These parts look and feel fantastic, whilst the cable itself uses a Litz type 2 construction with a coaxial shield. The shield is made of Silver-plated 5N LCOFC Copper + Gold-plated Litz Silver-coated Copper, whilst the internal cores are made from 7N OCC Copper, Gold-plated. They are using high-quality materials throughout, and it is a cable that feels like it is made to last, with great strain relief and a reassuringly sturdy feel to it.
I do have their first cable Elizabeth on hand for comparisons and it is equally well built, this cable however uses a Silver-plated over 6N OCC Copper coaxial shield, and Gold-plated over 4N OCC Silver + Palladium-plated over 4N OCC Silver cores internally. The Elizabeth also doesn’t feature the interchangeable connectors that The Earl has, which is a handy thing to have if you own multiple IEMs.
SOUND QUALITY
I have been using The Earl cable mostly with my Soundz Avant custom in-ears, as they have a musical yet clean sound that allows for changes in cables to be more easily perceived. I also used the Kinera Imperial Verdandi, and the Fiio M15s was my reference DAP of choice for this review. I decided to listen to the same song, with the stock cable and The Earl – I then used the Elizabeth cable towards the end for a short comparison between the company’s two releases.
Starting off with Coil by Opeth, the Avant with the Soundz premium cable comes across with an even-handed and clean presentation, with excellent separation and a balanced sound overall. Nothing stands out; there is good texture to the guitars and pleasing tonality to the vocals. Moving to The Earl cable, there is a slight increase in the presence of finer details during the softer finger-picked guitar sections; the edges of the notes feel a little sharper during these sections. When the bass kicks in, it is more subtle yet more natural. On the stock cable, there is a little dryness, whereas here it sounds more whole and cohesive. It makes the premium cable from Soundz sound a little constrained, whilst The Earl sounds bigger and more refined.
Liberate from Slipknot was up next, and I left The Earl plugged in first for this track. There is heft to the sound, instrumentals have body, and there is a dense, thick, and weighty delivery that just sounds right with this combo. Even though it is a heavy mix, every instrument is still easily separated, and Corey’s vocals cut through with authority and grit. Going back to the Soundz Premium cable, and the energy and depth are taken down a notch, the edges of notes are not as precise, and there is a little blurring of the details. There is still good body it just doesn’t match the separation and engagement of The Earl. This is a great song to demonstrate the difference between the two cables with these IEMs.
Moving to the Kinera Verdandi. These are earphones that are not lacking punch in the slightest. Scars by James Bay came on, and with the standard Kinera cable, it is punchy, full, and detailed across the board. Plugging The Earl cable in to the Verdandi brings out a little more clarity in the vocals, the width of the soundstage widens slightly, and the bass has more body, whilst simultaneously sounding a little more controlled in terms of impact. The Earl seems to have a slightly fuller yet more controlled sound, which increases the soundstage and clarity.
Moving to The Taste of Ink by The Used, I once again left The Earl plugged in to start off with, and there is excellent clarity across the board; every instrument is allowed its own space with a smooth and coherent delivery. This cable is not lacking in fun factor either; it is punchy and fast, too. Moving back to the stock Kinera cable, the drums are lacking a bit of body, whilst the mid-bass comes across a tad bloated at times. Dynamics are a little muted, and the soundstage is noticeably smaller, whilst cables don’t always make a night and day difference, I do feel the differences here are quite noticeable.
Lastly, I listened to Little Star by Stina Nordenstam. There are lots of little details in this song that are well portrayed by the Kinera with their stock cable. Moving to The Earl cable, it felt as if this cable grabs the bass line and fills out the lower end whilst having slightly better control over the mid-bass. It is fuller, deeper, and smoother overall, whilst the vocals have crisp clarity, and there is a wider and deeper soundstage. It’s as if the sound opens a little whilst gaining a hint of warmth and body, and allowing the subtle details to shine through a bit easier.
Time for putting The Earl up against its predecessor, Elizabeth. Both cables were made with different sonic signatures in mind, with Elizabeth focusing more on detail and clarity, and The Earl aiming for a smoother and wider presentation. For this comparison, I picked What Are You by Audioslave, starting off with The Earl plugged into the Kinera Verdandi. This gives you a full-bodied and engaging sound. Chris’ vocals sound realistic in both presence and tone. When the band kicks in, there is a great sense of body and fullness without sacrificing separation. Moving over to Elizabeth, you instantly notice a bit more presence in the treble, cymbal hits are a bit more up-front and crisper, the vocals ever so slightly cooler and not quite as full and forward. When the chorus kicks in, you can tell that this cable is more about control; it is not as full and engaging, but the electric guitars have a bit more bite to them. The bassline is taut; everything is in clear focus, and you don’t miss a thing in the recording. This cable sounds rawer; there is a sense that it holds no prisoners, whilst The Earl has a refined smoothness to it.
QUIBBLES
Some will moan about the price, the craftsmanship and materials used here are premium though and it feels extremely well made.
CONCLUSION
Cables won’t always make a night and day difference, and often the difference between them are small. That is not the case here, whether I was comparing to the standard cable I had on hand, or to the Elizabeth (Orffs first cable release) there was a distinctive difference in sound when comparing to The Earl.
The Earl cable offers up a huge amount of refinement whilst tastefully adding a subtle sense of body, widening the soundstage, and improving detail retrieval. It is important to note that synergy is an important aspect of cable “rolling” and that it is always best to demo a cable to ensure it plays nice with you’re existing kit. The Earl is a fantastic match for earphones that have a more neutral tonality, and it pairs very well with my Soundz Avant.
AT A GLANCE
Build Quality And Features:
Premium materials matched with expert craftsmanship
Precision engineering and sturdy build
Interchangeable IEM connectors
Sound Quality:
Smooth, warm, detailed, and spacious
Value For Money:
£1480 is a lot for an IEM cable, yet the craftsmanship and sound are there to back this up. It is a lovely cable if you have a pair of IEMs you are satisfied with and fancy tweaking the final sound to match your preferences.
We Loved:
The feel and the sound
We Didn’t Love So Much:
Nothing to note
Elevator Pitch Review: If you have a pair of endgame IEMs and are looking to get that “little extra something” out of them, cables are likely to be the place you start. Orff offers up a level of refinement in The Earl that few cables can match; its sense of space, detail, and overall smoothness are immediately apparent. When paired with the right IEMs, it is sure to put a smile on your face and bring you years of enjoyment. Cables are often the final piece of the puzzle, and in this case, The Earl is worth a demo if you can.
Price: £1480
Oscar Stewart
SUPPLIED SPECIFICATION
- 19 AWG, 2 Wires
- Structure: Litz Type 2 with Coaxial 3D Shielding
- Core: 7N OCC Copper, Gold-plated
- Shielding: Silver-plated 5N LCOFC Copper + Gold-plated Litz Silver-coated Copper Craftsmanship: Litz Type 2 Weaving + Coaxial 3D Shielding
- Connector: 2PIN/MMCX/PE Replaceable connector
