Astral Acoustics Mars Cable For IEMs – HiFi Woven In Boundless Metal
Astral Acoustics Mars is a $650 USD cable for IEMS with a balanced 4.4mm jack and a 2-Pin connector on the version we have, but configurable with all the other popular IEM connectors and other jack connectors too. Today we will review the Astral Acoustics Mars and compare it with other popular IEM cables from a similar price bracket including Astral Acoustics Eclipse (950 USD), STE AG W16 (580 USD), and Plussound Copper+ (999 USD)
Introduction
Astral Acoustics brings us music from outer space once again and the new Mars is a copper cable to match with your favorite IEMS and give you the smoothest, cleanest sound possible. Astral Acoustics cables are usually made on order and can be purchased from the official website. 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. Hue thanks to Astral Acoustics for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
PROs – Strong and bold sound with a heavy impact, excellent ergonomics and a beautiful copper color. There is a transport pouch included in the package, and Mars can make the soundstage wider, improving the bass depth and refining most music to be smoother and richer sounding.
Cons – Price point can be a bit high if you have non-flagship IEMs.
Product Link
Official Link – https://www.astralacousticscables.com/product-page/mars
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
Astral Acoustics Mars is a copper cable made from long Crystal Copper, and it features a three-sized stranding coaxial design, with an effective combined gauge of 21 AWG. The idea behind the mars has been providing the listener with a holographic, surround-sound instrument positioning and creating the widest soundstage possible.
The default length available for purchase on the Astral Acoustics website is 120 cm, and it takes one week for the company to make the Mars cable for you, with a recommended burn-in time of 50 hours. This is all covered by a 3-Year Warranty, with no reason for the cable to not survive forever.
Subjectively, Mars is a flexible cable made with a transparent sheathing, and the braiding is on the loose end, resulting in no memory effect and an effective way to dampen the microphonic and handling noise while using the cable. I opted for the 2Pin connector at the IEM side and the 4.4mm balanced connector at the jack side, but you can order Mars with virtually any connectors you may need.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired Mars with a number of IEMS, including Xenns Mangird Tea PRO, BQEYZ Winter, Soundz Flame, Hiby Project Ace, Sweear HE-Live5, and Soundz Avant. The pairing is generally excellent, the 2-Pin is a standard size and it works flawlessly. The source list for this review includes iBasso PB5, iBasso D16, iFi Audio hip-dac 3, Dethonray Listening M1, Loxjie A40, and HIFIMAN EF499. Using an upgrade cable will not change the impedance, but it can change how an earphone matches with a source, depending on how the cable influences the sound. One of my lead favorite pairings has been with Simgot EM10, as Mars really shows its characteristics easily with it.
Overall Signature – To start, the midrange is quite a bit louder when using Mars instead of the default cable with most IEMs. In fact, the whole sound seems to be louder, and you can consider this to be either better transmittance or better transparency, but it is a very real, immediately evident effect. The sound of Mars is slightly soft, gentle, but beefy and smooth, full and pleasing. Mars seems to be very transparent, but slightly vocal centric, bringing the lead singer, both male and female singers, more to the front of the stage, while projecting the instrument partner farther away both laterally and in the depth Z plane.
Bass – Starting with the bass, I am hearing a tighter, more complete bass with a tighter, and heavier impact from Mars compared to the default cable of all IEMs tested, it has a uniquely strong impact and hard sound. This creates a really pleasing tune that is enjoyable with all music styles and all earphones / IEMs. There’s a tendency for the bass to be stronger, deeper and more complete with the Mars, while impact seems quite a bit heavier and rumble leading the bass in heavy tracks.
Midrange – We have a natural, more forward midrange that gives all voices more strength and power, especially male voices sounding more powerful and more direct. All instruments are projected behind and around the lead vocal, while female voices sound a bit dampened and slightly quieter than reference. This makes all music heavier, more serious, more dramatic and smoother, darker and fuller sounding. This works very well with metal, technical death metal, but also with downtempo or rap music.
Treble – Treble is smoother, richer and leaner, more relaxed and less fatiguing as presented by Mars. This helps metal music stay less fatiguing, and more punchy, more beefy and bloomy, while for lighter rock or rap, sound is generally heavier and more relaxing. A gentle refinement without a roll-off means you will hear the full width of treble extension without it ever being fatiguing.
Dynamics – The overall effect is that most IEMs sound as if the clarity has been increased, as if the resolution is easier to hear, especially with the increased space between instruments, allowing for a more dynamic sound and better handling of complex songs. Classical music is satisfying and rich, while rock is edgy, forward and takes me back, giving me flashbacks of how a live concert feels and sounds like.
Textures – Mars refines the textures in most music, showing a bit less grain and a smoother, richer texture that gives music resolution and actual detail without forcing things to be too harsh and aggressive. Textures are generally smooth, lean and fun, all while Mars reveals a higher resolution in most music.
Soundstage – This is one of the things that Mars influences the most besides the bass, as it helps IEMs project music wider on the lateral plane, deeper on the Z Depth plane, and also both taller and more holographic in general. A higher sense of instrument separation and clarity is achieved, effectively giving most IEMs a better quality and more pleasing sound.
Comparisons
Astral Acoustics Mars IEM Cable vs STE AG W16 (650 USD vs 580 USD) – Mars is a bit more comfortable and looks a bit better with its copper color, although STE AG W16 is also pretty and has that textile cover that changes how the cable interacts with the environment from below the Y split. Sonically, Mars sounds much heavier, deeper and more refined, while AG W16 sounds brighter and more grainy, revealing more information in the upper registers, as Mars dampens the same registers and highlights more information and impact in the lower registers, improving the impact and depth in all music.
Astral Acoustics Mars IEM Cable vs Plussound Copper+ (650 USD vs 999 USD) – Copper+ is more rigid and less flexible than Mars, which I find surprising, but also to be expected, as Copper+ is a more dense cable. Microphonic levels are low on both, but Copper+ can react more when it is touched as it is physically more solid, while mars dampens microphonic noise more. Sonically, both are a flavor of dark, smooth and refined, but Mars brings in a tighter bass with more impact, while Copper+ gives music a directly warmer sound without tightening the bass. In the mids, Copper+ leaves things as they are a bit more, while Mars has a more evident character that dampens a bit more female voices, and enhances male voices a bit more, giving music more depth and bloom. The treble is refined and smooth with both, and both will create a beefy tuning. Since Mars is more affordable and more ergonomic, it is an easier to recommend option if you’re looking to upgrade your current IEM cable.
Astral Acoustics Mars IEM Cable vs Astral Acoustics Eclipse (650 USD vs 950 USD) – Eclipse is a bit more flexible, made with silver, and can create a more edgy sound, while Mars is a bit more solid and rigid, but also creates a smoother and beefier sound. Both cables are very detailed, but Eclipse focuses more on the upper midrange and treble, revealing more information there while Mars dampens and refines the treble and reveals more substance and impact in the lower registers. Male voices are stronger on Mars while female voices are stronger on the eclipse. Both cables are great options, get the Mars if you want a darker and bloomier sound, and get the Eclipse for a brighter and more open sound.
Value and Conclusion
While it is often difficult to argue whether a cable is really worth the asking price, Astral Acoustics Mars is priced mostly in the upper midrange segment, where the price / performance ratio is really good, and it offers a clean build, excellent ergonomics and although it is an IEM cable, it offers a tangible improvement in the sound without heavily influencing the tuning of the IEMs it is driving.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a high-end cable for your IEMS, to improve the comfort and the sound, to refine, expand and warm up your music slightly without loosing the analytical edge, all whilst improving the perceived resolution, Astral Acoustics Mars is an excellent choice for you, and by ordering it you can be sure you’re in very good hands as it is a handmade cable designed to order, and for which you can customize everything, including the length and the connectors.
Product Link
Official Link – https://www.astralacousticscables.com/product-page/mars
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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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