Eletech Inferno Review – Red Hot

Comparisons –

Plussound Poetic Tri-Silver ($875): A similar sum gets you Plussound’s top of the line complex silver creation. My unit is of the Poetic variety meaning it has a tight fabric sheath on each individual wire all in a 4-wire braid. Visually, it is dwarfed by the much thicker Inferno with dimensions that are far closer to an OEM cable. This may appeal to some buyers wanting to retain that aesthetic and feel; many high-end headphones are heavy and not all enjoy great ergonomics, the cable can play heavily into that experience.  

It’s not just ergonomics this effects, however, as the Inferno does provide a noticeable difference in overall bass power and dynamics. The Inferno has a bigger bass response, being fuller in both the sub and mid-bass. This lends it bolder, bigger notes. In addition, the Inferno offers superior extension with greater pressurisation at the very bottom and a more physical sense of impact in general. The Plussound cable provides a more nuanced presentation. Though it lacks the same dynamics and volume, it is a cleaner, tighter affair. Notes decay noticeably faster on the Tri-Silver and this gives it superior note definition and detail retrieval. If you want thick, textured notes, the Inferno is the obvious choice. The pacier Tri-Silver is for those wanting to separate each small detail and clean up the mid-bass, in particular.

A similar impression is to be had in the midrange. The Inferno offers slightly bigger, warmer and denser vocals. It sounds more coherent and structured with wholly resolved notes. By comparison, the Tri-Silver has a more delicate presentation with greater clarity and a cleaner tonality. It lacks the same coherence but makes up for it with superior resolving power and separation, the Tri-Silver delineates between individual layers better. Meanwhile, the Inferno offers a more contrast foreground/background which gives it a more forgiving and organised image.

Up top, the Tri-Silver provides a more prominent treble as would be expected from the differing conductor materials. It has greater clarity and a nice liquid quality. Meanwhile, the Inferno provides a more aggressive note attack with a crisper lower-treble and a more defined leading edge. Neither provides a more detailed sound, it depends if you prefer an airy and open presentation or a focused one with a darker background. The Tri-Silver offers a bit more sparkle and extension which suits darker headphones well and vice versa for the Inferno and its cleaner, darker mid-treble presentation.

When it comes to the soundstage, I would have to give the Inferno the advantage. It has a larger presentation altogether, width especially. In addition, its imaging is slightly sharper, providing a better sense of location and distance. The Tri-Silver is no slouch but doesn’t have the same three-dimensional feel when paired with a really solid headphone. On the flipside, the Tri-Silver does provide better separation across the board. This does help it on complex passages as, despite being brighter, it never sounds busy or disorganised. Still, the Inferno is a step above when it comes to staging overall.

Verdict –

The Inferno enjoys a practically unrivalled market sector as one of the only high-end full-size headphone cables. While some manufacturers such as Plussound do make similarly premium models, these companies are more dedicated towards IEMs and this reflects in the design of their cables. The Inferno feels like an authentic and painstaking product whose total redesign relative to Eletech’s past works gives it a clear sense of identity. Furthermore, the cable doesn’t just look good, it performs just as well. To say that this is the best headphone cable on the market would not be a fallacy since there is little competition. Yet even judged in isolation this is a fine creation that indeed translates the quality expected from the company into a larger form factor. If you don’t mind a bulkier cable design and enjoy a smooth, coherent sound, the Inferno is your best bet.

The Inferno is available from Element Technology (international) starting at $749 USD at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with Eletech and receive no earnings from purchases through this link.