Han Sound Audio Agni II – Best from the both worlds
Now for the classic yet beloved cable – pure silver. Agni II is a pure silver (26 AWG) cable but extremely soft, which is quite rare as most pure silver cables are rather stiff and springy. The softness is nearly identical as any other cables from Han Sound, not causing any microphonics one bit. Along with that, Agni II is incorporated with two types of pure silver cables with different thickness as well as installing DuPont’s Kevlar fibers for extra durability. Agni II is a mid-tier cable from Han Sound, retailing for approx. $550.
Matching comparisons
Campfire Audio Vega – Vega is quite tricky when it comes to matching a cable. Copper cables make the sound a bit too dark and dull for my taste while some silver cables pump up the sibilance or make the mids hollow (or lack body). While Agni II is also a silver cable, it appears to be presenting a sweet spot between this dilemma, providing a full-bodied, sibilance-free, and crispy sound.
Acoustune HS1670SS – The overall sound feels denser and faster, along with the mid-bass getting darker and more vivid. The bass kicks feel more solid and mildly stronger. The treble is significantly crispier and denser, having more speed and transparency. Mids are even closer, more energetic, and fancier. The upper mids have more air and liveliness, providing an intense, up-close presentation.
Rhapsodio Zombie MK8 – Agni II tightens up the rather loosen bass from the Zombie with denser and faster bass strikes. It mildly condenses the reverbs, presenting a cleaner atmosphere. It also brings up the mids closer and clearer, but not to the point where the vocals are bulged out. The Agni II + Zombie combo works out pretty nice and one of my very favorite cables to pair with this IEM. It overall respects the loud speaker-like sound from the Zombie while naturally brightening up the upper frequencies.
Sounds rich in bass despite a pure silver cable
Agni II respects the general trend and characteristics that most pure silver cables have, but also with solutions for the known cons. Not all, but generally pure silver cables are the ones that have the brightest sounding signature, ideal for bass-heavy IEMs. Though the backfires that could easily happen are hollow lows/mids, dry texture, degraded tonality, etc.
Well, those aren’t the case for Agni II – lively and rich lower ends, clear and crisp vocals while keeping the smooth and seamless surface texture, on-point tonality, and tighter reverbs. It feels to be a direct upgrade from Muse II as it has similar characteristics but with a fuller, crisper sound.
However, Agni II shows larger sound change once paired with BA IEMs unlike Muse II doing better with DD. I could say both cables have their own matching and characteristics. That being said, it’s important to keep in mind that “larger sound change” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. I still use my Agni II with Vega (1DD) and Muse II for Andromeda S (5BA), so there it is.
Next Page: Han Sound Audio Aegis (4/5)