Welcome to the Beat Audio family. Top notch technicals, a wide soundstage and a very unique timbre make the BA cables very special indeed.
Pros:
- Really great sonics
- Very technical but musical and rich tunings
- Unique & beautiful treble timbre
- Amazing bass!
- Top level build quality
- Very soft and supple
- Two different tunings to match any IEM
Cons:
- Price
- Overstated looks will not be for everyone
Greetings dear music amigo-mios, and welcome to my review of the Beat Audio Oslo MKIV and Billow MK2! This is my first review of Beat Audio products, super excited to dive in. After hearing hype after hype for these, I just had to get them in my hands/ears to try for myself. Thankfully BA has a review program, and Musicteck graciously asked me if I was interested in reviewing these two cables - without question I jumped at the opportunity. I’m very happy I did, their praises flying around the Head-Fi world is very much warred, full stop: they sound great! Far from new-comers in the cable game, BA offers a wide variety of cables, from more entry level to the eye watering ultra-flagships that will set you back $7k or more! Wow, though this is hardly new lately, summit gear is getting more and more crazy in pricing. Thankfully, so is the performance, and these BAs are no question part of that. Pushing the trends of materials, workmanship and detail, as soon as you see a BA cable you immediately know it’s their work. Shiny jewel-like wires under clear ultra soft PVC, carved golden hardware, they are works of art. They’ve pioneered what they call “spirals”, which is using a core wire and wrapping another single wire type around it, in a spiral fashion. It creates a very impressive and unique look, something I have never seen before. My camera is like a microscope, and usually when I shoot macro photos of cables I capture some ‘stuff’ in there, completely impossible to see by the naked eye. It’s normal, to see a few strands out of place here or there, or a small spot of something - the most summit gear has them too. Why do I mention this? Because I have never seen such perfection as I see in the BA cables. Even zoomed in, looking at each and every strand, I was especially blown away by the golden spiral on the Billow. It’s perfect! The wrapping of the spiral, the spacing, even the shine to the gold was essentially uniform over any spot I found. Crazy impressive.
While I may be slightly at odds with BA’s cosmetic choices - an avid fan of understatement these are quite different to my usual fare - I have come to greatly appreciate their build quality, fantastic ergo, and yes even the looks grew on me. I realize I’m in the minority here, I know most really love the bling, so I won’t really mention it again. Just know these are lookers, overstated even, and the color schemes won’t necessarily match with your gear as easily as more neutral colors do. But, and this is a big but, the most important thing to me is how they sound. Ergo a distant second. And in both these regards, BA knock it out of the park. So, as per usual with my reviews, I will focus on the sound, the experience of listening to a cable, getting to know what it’s capable of, and most importantly, how it works with my gear, unlocking potential and garnering amazement. Let’s get into it!
Cue my usual cable merits explanation paragraph, and the testing gear rundown/disclaimer in favor of transparency:
- I received the Oslo and Billow directly from BA, both in 8w configurations with 2 pin and 4.4mm. These are mine to keep after the review process. Nothing was asked of me in exchange for the cables, only to share my impressions, feelings and experience. My thoughts are my own, and I am in now way affiliated with BA or Musicteck.
- I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I don’t do this for work, and I spend an enormous amount of time on these. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out cash for their gear, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. That doesn’t mean my reviews are in any way slanted, I pride myself on being very neutral and sharing my thoughts in a way that will benefit the community. Honesty and no fluff. If I recommend something, it’s because I genuinely loved it, and I think you may too.
These are not cheap cables, summit sound comes with a summit cost, so if that offends you in any way just stop reading and go enjoy your music.
I’m a firm believer in cables, so much so that I have invested stupid crazy money on my personal cables. While not as important as your IEM or DAP, I believe the cable plays a vital, and sonically recognizable role in your signal chain, one that should not be overlooked. While not having a sound of their own, the increased “potential” and “ability expanding” effect of cables can indeed be quite noticeable. It can be a slight change in favor of smoothing or brightening an IEM, adding resolution or stage size, making it more laid back, more punchy or energetic, or really anything in between. That’s the fun of cables! Sometimes, with the really great stuff, it even brings a paradigm shift in everything it’s plugged into, revealing things you didn’t know were even there and making your IEMs sing with serendipitous glee. I know some find this a silly waste of time and money - either not believing in it, or simply not caring - and that’s totally fine. The staggering prices alone give cause for emotional turmoil and even anger, I totally get it. But, quality is quality, and when one is searching for the very best, companies make this stuff for people that care - if you don’t care then you’ve saved yourself a LOT of cash. That’s my view, and while I would be just as happy with something cheaper if it gave me the same level of enjoyment, I recognize you get what you pay for. At the end of the day, for me at least, how it sounds and how it makes you feel, is all that matters.
- For source I used my LP6 Ti AE and E7 EE. Most of the time I was running through my SAEQ Morpheus amp with either NJ SS IC or Cardas Golden Cross IC. IEMs were Traillii Ti, APX SE, Supreme V3 + V4 Prototype, TSAD Model2, UM Red Halo, and my OG 64A 18t for reference. Both cables were burned in for 150hrs before listening began.
A few excerpts from my latest listening roster, in no particular order:
Jazz: Snarky Puppy, GoGo Penguin, Nubya Garcia, Mathew Halsall, Robert Glasper, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Hunter, Avishai Cohen, Kandace Springs, Chris Potter, John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Esperanza Spalding, Gregory Porter, Julian Lage, Aaron Parks, Funky Knuckles, Ghost Note, Lettuce, Mark Littieri.
Rock: Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Mark Knopfler, Rage Against The Machine, Eric Johnson, Michael Landau, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Them Crooked Vultures, Tom Petty, Jackson Brown, Jethro Tull.
Vocals/Modern: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, Asgeir, The Comet is Coming, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Glass Animals, Jacob Collier, Hiatus Coyote, RY X, Vulfpeck, Fantastic Negrito.
Electronic: Joe Armon-Jones, Hidden Orchestra, Om Unit, Yosi Horikawa, Archie Pelago, Arovane, Tipper, Emancipator, Kryptic Minds, Bonobo, FKJ, Djrum, Synkro, Moonchild, Little Dragon.
Heavy Music: Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, Polyphia, TesseracT, Meshuggah, Trivium, Sevendust, Periphery, Sepultura, Intervals, Plini, Polyphia.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
INTRO TO BEAT AUDIO
Beat Audio is a company I had previously only heard of in passing, though they are extremely popular in Asian markets. That is changing quickly, as their newest cables are making headlines and hype trains all over the place. They are famous for their eye catching looks, employing a lot of custom made gold hardware and very colorful wires. These aren’t for the faint of heart in terms of looks, they are bold, shiny, and rather overstated. They are beautiful, regardless of the bling, eye catching and very impressively made. While not everyone will love the look, it can be said very clearly that these are extremely well made, robust and summit level cables of the highest quality. They use all kinds of different wire combinations and materials, and their winding process, shielding and wrapping is very unique. What is most impressive about their cables is just how soft and supple they are. No other company makes an 8W cable that is this soft and lightweight. BA is also famous for their pricing, as mentioned before, their TOTL Orbit Saga in 8w is $7.3k! They even have a new model called the Valhalla that is more expensive. Keeping in mine the two cables I was sent were their sub-flagship models coming in at $3k for the Billow and $1.8K for the Oslo in 8W versions. Amazingly, the cables I have, and their ultra-flagships are the same size and weight, so even the toppest of the top is comfy and soft.
Before receiving the cables I spent some time on their website perusing through their products, reading about their story and design methodology. It seems popular at the moment to give cables epic names, with insanely detailed backstories, even personality traits - it can come off as rather overdone. What I noticed about BA’s website was that everything was all about the materials inside, how many different things they tried before the final product. Trying to break down the barriers on “normal” cable design. Employing multi faceted design ideas just to see how they could push the envelope. Sure, their names are epic, but it was more about what the cable sounded like, or how hard it was to encapsulate the sound into a name. Usually translated from Chinese, their names have a unique sound in western languages, and I found it somewhat refreshing.
BUILD
While I cannot begin to address all the specs and ideas that BA use in their design, here is what BA has to say about these two cables. I tend to let the manufacturers and designers speak for themselves in this regard:
Billow MKII: This time, the Billow MKII is coming with a three-layer design, surpassing its predecessor in nearly all aspects. The innermost core is made up of a solid rod of silver alloy, which is not only thicker than the first generation but also has a new composition that sonically performs better. The middle layer is made up of alloy threads that have also been updated in terms of their material composition, and now they offer better conductivity with an updated sound signature. The outermost layer, which looks like a spiral, is in fact a sonically polished 24-karat gold foil running up each wire. This single helix is multi-function in that it serves isolation, tuning, and aesthetic purposes at the same time. I would call it the soul of the Billow MKII. The new structure found in Billow MKII results in more powerful bass, beautiful and round vocals, and better details in the high region. One can immediately hear the difference between the MKII and the first generation after seconds of listening, at least I did. Appearance-wise, the Billow MKII looks better as each wire is now thicker due to its complex structure, but it still feels surprisingly soft thanks to our newest isolation sheath that provides a comfortable touch.
Oslo MKIV: This fourth generation uses a seven-by-seven thread design with seven thin alloy threads forming a small wire while seven of these small wires form a large wire. These seven small wires are made up of two different compositions, in the ratio of three to four. Three of them are purple colored with tuning closer to Oslo MKII while the other four are silver colored with tuning closer to the MKIII. The MKIV is achieving higher than before with more than just the merits from previous generations, but also the new seven-by-seven structural design that has not been available on this product line.The outer sheath is translucent dark purple in color, giving the cable a beautiful purple shade while the purple and silver mix inside are providing a jewelry appearance. Naturally, the outer isolating sheath is using our newest technology for a minimum tangling experience and maximum comfort.
And now, in my own words.
Immediately on opening the boxes I was quite surprised to find how soft and luxurious the BA cables feel. For a flagship 8W cable they are remarkably soft and supple. I’m used to fat chunky cables as of late, and the difference using these BA cables are my norm is rather shocking. They have this silky feel to them, and while the braiding is very tight and complex, there is no memory or tightness to the cable at all. The braiding is also really well done, perfectly uniform, while remaining soft to the touch and easily coiled up small for storage. The Oslo is extremely soft and thinner, the Billow is a larger gauge wire and therefore has a bit more heft and it’s not quite as soft. To be clear, these are both very soft and supple, especially given their size and wire count.
As I mentioned before, this kind of look isn’t exactly my bag, but I have to give a lot of points to their build quality, beautiful aesthetics, and general presentation. The Billow is all gold, with gold hardware, and is quite a sight. The cable has a slightly raw gold type of look, softer and more muted than the hardware which looks almost orange next to it with more contrast. The Oslo is a gorgeous shade of deep purple, also adorned with the same gold hardware, though I feel the combination seems more “normal” over the pure gold glitter. They are both like a piece of jewelry, with a feeling of luxury and quality. Looking closely at the wires you can see BA’s very unique winding and braiding process. Normally we see hybrid wires woven together super tightly, but BA uses what they call a spiral, meaning the accent wire (for cosmetic and sonic purposes) is lightly wrapped around the base wire in a looser and more spread out way. On the Billow it’s literally a polished 24 karat gold foil, which as I mentioned, even under a microscope is rather flawless. This gives the cable a very unique and interesting look, not to mention the added sonic benefits. The Oslo is a mix of silver and purple wires when you look closely, but to the naked eye, it’s a lovely shade of purple that has a hint of grey blue in there, making it slightly more sleet or metallic which is a cool touch.
The hardware is very unique as well. Sporting a more orange glow, they look hand carved, once more furthering the jewelry like vibe. They are also aluminum, no plastic cheapsy stuff here. The 4.4mm plug, Y split, chin cinch and 2 pin plugs all match perfectly, with the same pattern throughout. How they were able to make this design language work on some many pieces of varying size is no small feat. In fact, if you lower the chin cinch all the way down, you’ll see that its lines match perfectly to the Y split, like they were cut from the same piece of metal. (I really like how that photo came out, with the geometric lines and spacing matching between the pieces of hardware). Did I forget to mention all the hardware is aluminum? It remains very light but you can feel the sturdiness and quality here. It’s very intricate, ornate even, giving a feeling of class and top end.
A small aside, I for one would be super stoked to see a black hardware option. Or something at least a bit less bling. This could greatly increase the color combinations, and work with more IEMs and designs to allow visually modest peeps such as myself to further enjoy their products. Just a thought.
UNBOXING
Both the cables came in a 4 sided polygon shaped green box, emblazoned with their logo in gold. The shape is very unique, first time Ive ever seen anything other than a puck style case, or a fancy crazy box. (The Orbit Saga comes in a very fancy wood box, but these two came in the more basic packaging.) Since these are review units I am not sure if this is the standard packaging for these cables, or more of what they would use for lower models. Inside you have the cable in a custom cut out foam liner, and, nothing else. There is no case, no fancy accessories, nada. Personally I really like this, I have no need for all the extra stuff. Unless a cable comes with a useful, useable case, like the Nightjar Sovereign Symphony, I see no reason for all the other stuff. Puck cases are nice, but they don’t always fit the cable AND the IEMs, which makes them not so useful for me. PW metal cases look cool, but again they’re not quite big enough for most IEMs and the cable, and the metal can scratch the hardware. Case in point, as far as I’m concerned, cables don’t need more than a soft bag to safely store them. Or in this case, nothing. Perhaps some would expect a case of some sort for a $3k cable, but not I. Moving on.
THE SOUND
It is no secret that I have heard, and owned, a lot of summit cables. Apart from my reviews featuring the best of PW Audio, Eletech, Nightjar, and Rhapsodio, adding Beat Audio to the mix immediately puts them in tough company. I have very high expectations, especially when in the summit tier of pricing and performance promises. While a cable doesn’t have its own sound per se, I personally find cables to “impart” a great deal of change to the sound in the right circumstances. Sure, tips and DAP make a huge difference, more than cables sometimes, but once you’ve gotten all that figured out, all that’s left is the cable. And while all cables are certainly different, each company has a sonic design philosophy that they stick to more or less. PW audio cables have their thing, the soft weave covers, amazing pure copper sonics and beautiful though slightly colored sound. I do love me some PW cables. Or Eletech’s vibrant cables, with sonic punchy bass, very textured and resolving sound, with heavenly treble extension that feels light on its feet. Rhapsodio cables all have some extra energy in them, mostly transparent, and remain some of the punchiest and more dynamic cables I’ve heard. Or Nightjar, with their Mira, and the lovely Sovereign Symphony, my current favorite. Big sound, super transparent, immensely resolving and natural. Why do I mention all of this? Because I feel BA has a very unique flavor too, one that after just a few minutes with either of these cables is really evident. And I like it, a lot. They are resolving and clear, but focus more on all the aspect of the sound together, instead of highlighting any particular region or attribute. They place great interest to the bass, making it big and powerful, but very controlled. The sub bass reach is especially amazing, and very addictive. Mids are generally quite neutral and clean, but shying away from analytical. They have a lot of micro details, a lot of resolution, and great space between layers. And the top end is quite airy and silky, with just a touch of energy. There is some effortless clarity in the lower treble that I find very unique, thought I am still struggling to describe it correctly. We’ll circle back to that later.
While the Oslo is very much a linear/reference kind of tuning, the Billow is more weighted, with meatier mids and bass and a slightly “golden” softness to the edges. They both stick to the family sound, undeniable. I think that’s a strong testament to a company’s prowess, being able to have multiple cables in their inventory that follow the same DNA, but still sound different enough to attract all kinds of listeners. And based on that, I think BA’s sound lies somewhere in between the sound of Nightjar and Eletech. More on the reference side, with some extra -but controlled- energy and sparkle up top, and punchy fat deep bass. BA cables are nicely balanced, and very cohesive between frequency areas. I never felt like the bass was too much, or the sparkle took attention away from the mids. Nothing overly thick, or thin, and while they are both very resolving cables, the Oslo remains quite reference, and the Billow achieves even better resolution and stage size, in a package that is overall more sweet and savory. Impressive for sure. Both cables trade blows with each other on all fronts, but the Billow is the better performer of the two. It’s also $1k more money. The solid silver core center, and the gold spiral wrap really add up to something very special, an entrancing and vivid presentation that is as open and detailed as it is seductive. The stage is bigger, the mids more detailed too. There is more holography with the Billow, though the Oslo is no slouch there either. The Oslo is the more neutrally tuned, so for more pairings one could safely get the Oslo and be very happy.
In an effort show this cohesiveness, and family DNA, I will review and compare both cables at the same time. Not because they don’t both need a review of their own, but because their similarities, and their differences, are what makes them special. Please keep in mind that these two cables occupy BA’s flagship line-up, not to be confused with their ultra flagship line, which includes the scary expensive Orbit Saga and Valhalla cables, both retailing for over $7-8K! Considering their prices, these two perform extremely well, and can be directly compared to other TOTL cables from other manufacturers. However, don’t expect Orpheus, Sovereign Symphony or Orbit Saga performance here, that would simply be unfair. That spot is already taken in the BA lineup, with the aforementioned Orbit Saga, and their lust-worthy Valhalla.
BASS
While both these cables are very balanced, the first thing I noticed with both was the bass. It is fat and juicy, deep and rumbly. There is a very distinct quality to the bass I now know to be the BA house sound. It’s very textured, slightly lifted in quantity and with a very noticeable sub-bass extension. Even monitors that aren’t bass specialists were given a health dose of extra bass performance, I was very impressed. There is more control, more depth, more reach, and a bit faster attack while remaining more natural over extremely punchy or overly energetic. While the bass isn’t exactly the same for both, they are really similar. The Billow has a bit more quantity, more weight, and is touch more lush and enveloping. As is with the entire cable’s presentation, that golden hue seems to pervade everywhere, even in the bass. Oslo is a touch tighter, more clean and neutral. Sub-bass quantity is the same for both, while Billow adds in a bit of upper bass to fill in the sound, giving the low end a bit more power and presence. I hear no bloat or spilling of the bass into the lower mids, it’s all very tight and controlled. While the bass presence of both these cables is quite full, I never felt like it was overpowering, or boosted in any way. It draws attention, gives power and thunder, but also gets out of the way when not called for.
Fantastic bass, loving that BA low end sound!
MIDS
BA mids are very clear, a touch on the neutral side, and slightly more clean over euphonic. There is nice weight, thought not chunky or overly bloated. Very good sense of macro and micro details, loads of information in the mids and they stretch nicely to the sides. Billow continues its golden hue, imparting a bit more warmth and body over Oslo’s more neutral and less colored presentation. Oslo is definitely a reference sound, and while that doesn’t mean -at all- that it’s boring or analytical or cold, it does mean that there is no color, warmth or extra anything to the mids. They are pristine, clean and clear all the way. The Billow adds more warmth, more weight, more emotion, while still a bit more resolving and detailed, which is really impressive. Like the Orpheus, which is quite warm and fat in many ways, still manages to eke out crazy details, especially in the micro sense, which is insanely cool. I’m not saying the Billow is similar to Orpheus, not at all, but their ability of warmth and detail is both very impressive. Especially in the mids, the Billow is really gorgeous, with all the detail and clarity there is a wonderful sense of emotion, the transients are clean but they have that golden edge to them, making them a touch softer but not slower. I hear more expansion left and right with the Billow, even thought Oslo seems to have a wider stage because of it’s cleanliness and (relatively) thinner mids. In the mids the Billow is the most holographic, stretching far behind the head and above, not just to the sides.
Instruments, both real and electronic sound very natural with both of these cables. I hear no exaggeration in any way, no boosted frequencies or EQing to make way for more clarity or resolution. For a thicker sounding monitor, or a more reference presentation, the Oslo is fantastic. Think like the STORM tuning, or CP 622B mids that are very clear and clean but still with enough body and musicality. The Billow mids are more like the Traillii, or even the Annihilator, with some steak sauce and shimmering Champagne to boot. For me, I absolutely love the Billow with my Rhapsodio Supreme V3. It adds some bass body, the mids take on more weight and have that exquisite golden hue while not losing out on any of the detail, and a shimmering yet soft top. This is a fantastic combo. Especially in the mids, I really enjoyed what it did to the V3. In contrast, the Oslo sounded great with my TSAD Model 2 mids, giving them more resolution but staying with their unique stock tuning. Red Halo I also preferred the Oslo, keeping the mids more clean, while adding resolution and separation. Both these cables have great mids, it depends a lot on your personal preferences, and what you want to change in your IEM. Pound for pound the Billow is the “better performing” cable, but for those that prefer neutral and clean, the Oslo is a fantastic choice, especially given that it’s cheaper. It’s hard to make a statement about better mids with these two, it all comes down to preference. Truth be told, I am more of a neutral mids guy, I like to let my IEMs speak for themselves.
TREBLE
Here is another signature BA DNA house sound, the treble. I will do my best to describe it, there is just something about it that I haven’t been able to put to words. The BA top end is very detailed, clean and clear, with just a touch of extra sparkle. But it’s also very controlled, never sibilant or bright, just very articulate. You get this sense of clarity, of detail and airiness that you’d think would be on the bright or sharp side, but it’s not. It’s like a moving contradiction, parts of it are so revealing and crisp, but the entirety of the package is smoother and never fatiguing somehow. It’s treble done right for sure. I supposed I could make a comparison to the Annihilator again here, its treble has that same kind of mystical vibe. It’s very extended, almost weightless, but never harsh or bright either. It’s very clear, crisp even, but “crisp” if you can understand me. This is one of the BA DNA attributes, somehow giving their very resolving and precise treble, that also somehow feels smooth and relaxed at the same time. Thankfully for me, BA doesn’t thin out or scoop out the treble body, so you get all this nice detail without sacrificing any of the naturalness, weight and realism of sounds and instruments in the top end.
I found the treble to be very similar between the two models, both are resolving and clear, extended and airy, without a sense of harshness or brightness. As was the case before, the Oslo stays very neutral here. The Billow brings in a bit of that golden hue again, which you notice even more than in the mids and bass regions. I like this kind of treble a lot, as you get all the details but somehow soften the edges enough to make top heavy IEMs sound more musical without sacrificing SQ. With the V3 the Billow showed its prowess 10 fold, extending to the heavens and giving such an out of space feeling, I was amazed. With my Traillii Ti and Red Halo, I preferred the Oslo’s natural more neutral vibe. Unlike some cable combos I’ve tried, the BA top end is softer and more relaxed, while still being very detailed. The top end of the Oslo is also forgiving, yet resolving too. No matter what IEM I tried with it, it didn’t alter the stock presentation, just adding more detail, more openness and clarity.
As is now clear to me, the BA house sound can be hard to put into words. It’s not that they’re better than others which makes it so tough, it’s because the tonal balance and tuning is so uniquely, well, Beat Audio. The super deep bass that is epically textured and fast, while respecting the natural decay of acoustic instruments. Or the mids, detailed and nuanced, with great micro resolution and crispness, but with a halo of comfort and musicality keeping things in line and enjoyable. And that pristine top end, with all the soft and juicy emotions fluttering through the air like golden flakes catching the light of sunset. I must say I am very very impressed. I tried these two cables on a lot of different IEMs, and the effect was always an upgrade.
STAGE
Both the Oslo and Billow have great, vast stages. Neither of them are the largest or deepest I’ve ever heard, but that was to be expected given the price point. Here is where the Billow shows more of its extra strength, earning that higher cost. Oslo has a very vast stage, with a lot of width, and a great feeling of space between layers. It’s more lean and clean signature aids in that feeling of space, carving out more room for the minute details. The Billow is wider, but also more holographic. There is more wrap around your head, more involvement and engagement too. While it has more body, more beefy low end and lower mids, it feels even more spacious, more open, and with greater sense of positioning. Both feature an epically deep bass that emanates from all around you. Both have wide open mids, with the Oslo stretching wide, and the Billow more wrapping around you. Both also have very open and airy top ends that extend very high. While the character of each cable’s treble presentation is slightly different, I head a very similar extension and reach from both.
COMPARISONS
Seeing as the Oslo and Billow have now been exhaustively compared, I think it’s time to bring in a few fresh faces. Drawing from my current cables, and a few from memory, here is, to the best of my abilities, some select comparisons. I’ve tried to stay in the same price range as much as possible, though I've included a few others because, why not :)
Rhapsodio FC2W
There is a lot of similarities between Rhap and BA, they are both more neutral with great bass, fast mids and extended treble. The BAs have more sub reach, and more bass quantity in general. The FC is faster and punchier, at the expense of bass body and decay. Mids are fairly similar, thought the FC adds in a touch of upper mid energy I don’t hear in the BAs. Treble is similar, where now the BAs have a touch more energy up top, but it’s very smooth and natural over the Rhap’s slightly energized touch. The FC is more bleeding edge and fast. The BAs tend to be a bit more emotional over the technical feeling of the FC. Stages are similar, with the Billow being a touch bigger. FC keeps the mids very close, and the BA are more uniformly open. Ergo wise the FC is kind of awful and stiff, easy win for BA. The Oslo is a very similar color scheme, though the gold hardware makes it more flashy. Oslo is more similar to FC, both being neutral cables.
Eletech Ode To Laura
The OTL has a very similar low end, but is even more punchy and guttural than the BAs. One of best Bass presentations I’ve ever heard, so grippy and fat. The BAs are a touch slower, with greater decay. The OTL manages to be so punchy while also being very textured, the BAs are a bit more felt rather than heard here, focusing on the rumble over the punch, at least compared. Mids are pretty similar as well, clean are clear, the OTL being the fastest and more crisp, if only by a small margin. The top end is where they differ somewhat, as the OTL thins out and becomes truly weightless up top, with an extra sense of sparkle that treble aficionados love. It also extends really tall, like crazy. The BA cables have more body in the high end, and while they are very detailed, they have this special sweetness to them that is uniquely BA. OTL comes off more energetic up top, the BAs being slightly more subdued in comparison. OTL is tallest by far, BAs are more wide. Ergo wise these are all very comfortable and very classy cables. Super supple. Etched hardware, flashy see through sheathing, shiny wires underneath.
PW 1950s Shielding
My personal reference for reference sound, (pardon the pun but it's true) The 50S is a very special cable. Surgically detailed, with great body and weight to the entire spectrum, classic Cardas Clear copper tone. The BAs have more bass quantity, with more rumble and sub over mid bass bump. The 50S’s bass is very punchy, I hear its kick more than feel it, the BAs sounding more modern and nimble over the slightly vintage vibes of the 50S copper. Oslo and 50S mids are similar, where details and resolution are matched evenly, though I hear a bit more body on the 50S. Their vibe isn’t exactly the same, but the end result is in a similar style. Billow is more golden, more emotional. Treble wise the 50S remains more pure copper, the BAs again sound a bit more modern and fast, with more sparkle and effervescence on top. 50S has more body in the upper mids and treble, BAs are more weightless and light. It’s a battle of New School vs Old School - choose your poison. All these cables are soft and easy to use, no real winner here for ergo. Looks wise I prefer the understated grey and black, but that’s just me.
PW Orpheus
While this is going outside the price bracket by a lot, I feel it’s still a worthwhile comparison. I include this as I plan to review the Orbit Sage and/or Valhalla as soon as possible, and the Beat Audio DNA will play a large role here when comparing. As I mentioned earlier, the combined tuning of Billow and Oslo, with an upgrade across the board is what I’ve been told to expect for the OS. That makes for a potent mix, and something that could certainly keep up, or possibly dethrone, or side throne, the Orpheus.
The Orphy’s signature move is the widest and most emotional mids, and here it still leads the pack. Its uncanny thick midrange that’s also ridiculously detailed, especially the micro details, is astounding. Those details are a bit compressed and relaxed, so the Orphy is more laid back and smooth. Vs the Billow, Orphy has more mid bass, more bass in general. Both are very fat and rumbly, but the Orphy is more powerful and energized, despite its relaxed demeanor. Mids are quite different, the BAs are more clean and clean, with great tight edges. A continuation of the 50S theme there, old style vs modern. Comparatively, the Orphy is more detailed, more spread, more open, but also more smooth, with more space between the layers. With a very relaxed vibe, the mids are surprisingly clean and very articulate. The Orphy does have an uptick of energy in the upper mids, a gentle rise, that can cause some monitors to exhibit shouty or slightly sibilant vocals, trumpets, guitars etc. The BAs are more even here, without any accent. On top the BAs extend more, and are more weightless and airy. The Orphy is more weighted, and has the signature high end roll-off that makes it so famous. Like a 2 channel system, the focus is width and depth, height leaves something to be desired here. Here the BAs are more energized, more sparkly, and more present. With the Billow, while their presentations are totally different, their ability to convey technical experiences, in a warmer and more thick and emotional style is similar. They don’t sound at all alike, mind you, but it’s interesting to note. Technically the Orphy is superior to both, it’s crazy detailed and emotionally, but that direct comparison should be reserved for BA’s ultra flagships to make it a fair fight. Ergo wise the Orphy isn’t thin or light, but once it breaks in it’s quite soft and comfortable. The BAs are much more supples, and even though they are 8W they’re very comfortable to wear. Color wise, same as before. Dark and brooding over flashy, can’t decide that part for you.
Nightjar Sovereign Symphony
My current favorite cable of all time. It takes all the strengths of everything I’ve heard; Orphy, FC, 50S et al, and combines them in a package that is extremely detailed, very transparent, viciously weighted and powerful, and somehow amazingly musical too. Nothing really compares to it - but it’s insanely expensive, very thick and heavy, and certainly not for everyone. The BAs are infinitely lighter, more comfortable, supple and fun to wear. I would say the SS is tuned more like the Oslo, with its transparent reference and clean neutralness, but with the vastness and larger instrument size of the Billow. I hear about the same sub bass and bass quantity, over neutral and very fulfilling. Mids are all very open and clean, top ends that are very extended and airy. Just take the BA’s, make everything like 3x bigger, and more transparent and you have the SS. Nothing quite compares to its size and massive staging. Again, to make this a fair battle we need to invite in BA’s ultra flagships. But it is interesting to note, that tuning wise the SS and Oslo are of similar minds.
Ergo wise it’s a no contest win for BA, the SS is huge and heavy. While it’s quite soft for what it is, it can’t come close to the soft supple BA wires and smooth silky feel. Design wise the SS is more flashy than I normally would choose, but somehow it’s fairly subdued and matte, where the BA cables are more shiny gloss. Especially the Billow which looks like a gold chain, the looks won’t be for everyone - but for those that love this kind of look, the Billow is gorgeous. The SS is a statement of its own, going outside with this thing gets plenty of looks, for the design but also that thickness. It’s a big boy!
CONCLUSION
And so there you have it folks, my introduction to the Beat Audio family, starring the Oslo and Billow. To say that I am very impressed would be a discredit to what they have done here. I really dig the BA house sound, and I love how unique the presentation is. There is something in there I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s special. The beautiful wires, the tight braiding, the custom metal hardware, all top notch. While I am personally not a big fan of bright shiny colors, everyone is different and I know this is a favorite for many. The looks have grown on me over the past weeks, I’ll be honest. If anyone from BA is listening, it would be sooooo cool if you could make at least one cable that was a bit more visually subdued, or offering a black (or more neutral) hardware option on some of your models. A nice compromise that I feel would be very welcome for some of us. This is of course only my personal feeling, and I am biased in my Batman “does it come in black” mentality, so don’t let me dissuade you in any way. Sound wise the BA cables are amazingly good, balanced and rich, with fantastic bass. I know the BA owner is a dancer, and I can hear this inspiration clearly in his cables. But they are much more than a one trick bass pony - these are very modern, dynamic, open, detailed, spacious, clear and musical cables that would be greatly appreciated by anyone who gets a chance to to hear them. Their price puts them in the same category as many other TOTLs out there, but the BA house sound is very unique. Something new, for those that feel they’re heard everything already, BA is here to help you out with that.
I can say, that after about 7 weeks with these cables, using all kinds of gear and IEMs, in different moods and mind states, I really enjoy the tuning of both these cables. What I would really want, as is always the case for me with top end gear, is something of an amalgamation of the two. The neutrality and purity of the Oslo, the grandness, resolution and note weight of the Billow. Upping the technical abilities to Orphy or SS level, droooool. From what I have read and heard, for the reference sound, this is the Orbit Saga. For the slightly darker and more mysterious, code name Valhalla. I’ve now official whet my appetite and ready for more. The idea of these next level Beat Audio cables gets me quite excited, I MUST have one :) Stay tuned on that front!
I hope this review was helpful or informative, and I thank you for reading to the end. I know it’s long, but there was a lot to cover. This was a journey for me, a grand introduction to a whole new sound, a new company. I wish to thank Beat Audio for sending me these samples, and a huge thanks to Andrew from @MusicTeck who set it up. As always Andrew is a true gentleman, and I personally get all my gear from him. This isn’t advertising, just a shout out to a good guy who does all he can to help.
If you’d like to get one of these cables for yourself, they’re available at MusicTeck’s website here: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/beat-audio
Or directly from BA via their website here: https://www.beataudiolab.com/collections/in-ear-monitor-cables
Thanks for reading! Always remember my friends, all that really matters is the music, gear is just a vehicle. But the vehicle sure is fun to drive :)
Adios for now!
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