Effect Audio Ares 10th Earphone Cable Review

The Ares 10th Anniversary Edition is Effect Audio's special-edition cable, which the page describes as the first in its lineup with a 10-wire design. It lists 26AWG wire conductors, Soul-blend Gold Copper Alloy, UP-OCC Smelting and a rhodium-plated brass termination plug in 3.5mm or 4.4mm. The cable options cost $699 or $724, and the $25 From price on the page is for a separate option named Anniversary Pin.

Specifications

Options and pricing

Five options are listed. Ares 10th 3.5mm ConX 2Pin and 4.4mm ConX 2Pin are $699 each, with a crossed-out $799 on both. The same two plugs with + MMCX in the name are $724, crossed-out $824. The fifth option, Anniversary Pin, is $25 with a crossed-out $29; the page text does not describe it, so a From $25 price shown for the page text does not show what the cable costs. The page says the cable comes with 2-pin 0.78mm connectors by default and that other connector options are optional to purchase.

How it compares

The Effect Audio ConX connector page is listed from $25 and its name lists Basic Set and Full Set connectors, a different purchase from a cable. The TRN T2 Pro 16 Core Silver Plated Earphone Cable starts at $15.80 and the DUNU Lyre Mini 240-Strand High-Purity OCC Earphone Cable is $29.99, against $699 here. The Ares suits a buyer set on the ConX system and a 10-wire cable; the other two suit a smaller budget.

Shipping, returns and warranty

HiFiGO sells from hifigo.com and says every order leaves its warehouse in China, usually 1-3 business days after it is placed, and says its delivery times are estimates, not promises. Its shipping policy gives the United States 1-2 weeks (about 10 days on average) by Priority and 6-10 days by Premium, both with duties and taxes prepaid by the store; Canada 2-3 weeks; the United Kingdom 1-2 weeks; and Australia 10-15 days. Express couriers (DHL, UPS, FedEx) take 3-7 days, but then the buyer pays any duties and taxes. No shipping page names New Zealand, PO boxes are not accepted, and the free-shipping thresholds differ between the store's own pages, so check the cart. One of its two shipping pages adds that a lost parcel on an order above $50 gets only a 50% refund. A US buyer reported a $40 tariff charge in August 2025, after which HiFiGO said it had added a customs notice at checkout.

Read the return terms before you order. The homepage advertises 7-day returns. Both of HiFiGO's policy pages offer a 7-day dead-on-arrival cover (a replacement or a full refund, with the return postage refunded) and also describe 30-day returns, but a request made 7 to 30 days after delivery loses 30% of the MSRP as a restocking fee (10% more if the packaging is incomplete), plus shipping both ways and duties, and the FAQ on the same pages says there is no refund or exchange once 7 days have passed. One version recommends reselling an opened product locally. Custom IEMs and custom cables cannot be returned, no return address is published, and buyers describe sending items back to China.

Cables and adapters get three months of warranty from the order date, against one year for DACs, amps and IEMs; a note on the same page also excludes cables from returns for hygiene reasons, while the FAQ says a cable can come back in its original condition. HiFiGO decides between repair and replacement and the buyer pays the shipping. Claims go to [email protected], the only contact the store lists: its pages name no company, street address or phone.

On Trustpilot, HiFiGO had 4.6 out of 5 from 378 reviews when we checked on 2026-10-28 (91% five-star, 5% one-star), and it had replied to about 75% of negative reviews; Trustpilot notes the store has not invited customers to review recently. The one-star reviews mostly concern the short return window and the deductions on returns, items listed in stock that turned out back-ordered, slow email support and a tariff charge on a US delivery in 2025. HiFiGO says its products are genuine and come in the brands' retail packaging; it does not claim to be an authorized dealer.