Best IEM Cables: A Complete Guide to Our Upgrade Cable Lineup

Choosing an IEM cable comes down to three questions: which connector your earphones use, which termination your source needs, and which wire material suits your ear. We offer cables across three families, Time Stream, Time Link, and Smoky Litz series, plus two flagship designs inherited from ALO Audio, so there is a match for every earphone we make and every listening setup.

What Our Cable Lineup Gets You

Every cable in our line uses high-quality Litz wire composed of high-purity metals, offering pure copper, pure silver, silver-plated copper (SPC), and Gold-plated OFC copper to offer different sonic profiles and upgrades to listeners. Our cable use premium, supple jacketing materials that eliminate microphonics and are comfortable and soft to the touch. Our MMCX cables use our custom-matrix MMCX connectors that are rated for thousands of connects/disconnects over their lifespan, while our newer shift towards 2-pin connectors use industry standard .78mm connectors designed for recessed IEM connectors. 

For more on how driver and cable choices interact, see The Complete Guide to In-Ear Monitors.

What changes from cable to cable is the connector, the termination, and the conductor specifications . Custom matrix MMCX is our standard IEM side connector and fits nearly every earphone we currently build. Two models, Andromeda 10 and Chimera, use standard 0.78mm 2-pin instead. On the source side, we offer 3.5mm single ended, 4.4mm balanced which has emerged as the industry standard for balanced signal , and 2.5mm balanced, which we are phasing out in favor of 4.4mm.

Material choice shapes tone in real but modest ways, more noticeable on multi driver earphones than on single driver models. Silver plated copper gives a neutral sound with a touch of extra air. Pure copper leans warmer and fuller. Pure silver opens up the soundstage and adds brightness. Gold plated copper and copper silver blends land somewhere in the middle, smooth and rich. The experienced sonic changes will depend on the overall level of your cable upgrade, as well as the quality of your broader signal chain. We recommend cable upgrades for those that have already established a quality signal chain in terms of source and their IEMs. 

Time Stream: Chromatic and Metal Series

Chromatic and Metal Series are our entry points into the Time Stream family, and they carry the ribbon style design language that runs through the whole line. Both use enameled silver plated copper conductors housed in a non migratory PVC jacket that resists tangling, with custom matrix MMCX connectors on the earphone end.

Chromatic keeps the housings in lightweight plastic and comes in five colors: black, purple, blue, green, and orange. Metal Series upgrades the splitter and plug to metal accents for a more substantial feel in hand, while keeping the same silver plated copper wire underneath. Both series still offer 2.5mm balanced alongside 3.5mm and 4.4mm, making them a practical choice if you are running an older balanced source that has not moved to 4.4mm yet.

These are the cables to reach for when your stock cable is worn out, you want a specific termination your earphones did not ship with, or you simply want a color that matches your setup. They deliver the same silver plated copper voicing found on many of our stock cables Browse the full Time Stream Chromatic Series and Metal Series listings for current colors and terminations in stock.

Who they're for: listeners replacing a stock cable, anyone who still needs 2.5mm balanced, and buyers who want color options without stepping up in price.

Time Stream: Duet and Silver

Duet and Silver are the midpoint of the Time Stream family, where conductor material starts to do real work on tone.

Duet pairs two silver plated copper conductors with two pure copper conductors, four 24 AWG wires total, for a sound that leans smooth and slightly warm with a touch of shine in the treble. It suits listeners who want more body than a pure silver plated copper cable without losing the top end entirely.

Silver moves to four pure silver 24 AWG conductors, trading warmth for space and resolution. Expect a brighter, more open presentation with extended treble, well suited to earphones that already sound a little dark or congested and could use more air.

Both cables use PVD aluminum termination housings with gold plated plugs, and both connect via custom matrix MMCX. Duet offers 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations. Silver adds 2.5mm to that list as well.

Who they're for: listeners who have identified a specific tonal shift they want, warmer and fuller from Duet, brighter and airier from Silver, rather than a general upgrade.

Time Stream: Ultra

Ultra is the flagship of the Time Stream family, featuring eight 24 AWG conductors, four silver plated copper and four pure copper, for a combined gauge of roughly 15 AWG. That extra conductor count is intended to deliver what we describe as across the board gains in technical performance: clearer separation, tighter bass control, and more resolved detail than the lighter Time Stream cables.

Ultra keeps the same PVD aluminum housings and gold plated terminations as Duet and Silver, connecting through custom matrix MMCX, with 3.5mm or 4.4mm termination options.

This is the cable we point flagship earphone owners toward when they want to extract the most from earphones like Astrolith or other multi driver models in our range, where the additional conductors have the most room to make a difference.

Who it's for: owners of our higher end earphones with an established signal chain who want the strongest cable pairing available in the Time Stream family.

Time Link: The Modular Cable System

Time Link solves a different problem than the rest of our cables. Instead of choosing one termination at purchase, you get a single cable body with six conductors, three high purity copper and three silver plated copper, individually enameled, and three swappable termination modules included in the box: 3.5mm single ended, 4.4mm balanced, and a USB-C module with a built in DAC.

That DAC module uses a Cirrus Logic Master HiFi chip supporting 32 bit/384kHz playback and DSD256, with 2 Vrms output and enough power to drive most IEMs directly from a phone or laptop over USB-C. The aluminum hardware and included Breezy Bag Jr. case round out the package.

Time Link is available in two earphone-side versions, 2-pin and MMCX. The 2-pin version is the stock cable on Andromeda 10, and the MMCX version is the stock cable on Grand Luna. When buying Time Link on its own, choose the connector that matches your earphones.

Who it's for: listeners who move between a phone, a balanced DAP, and a laptop and do not want to own three separate cables, and the only current upgrade option for our 2-pin earphones.

The Litz Family

Litz cables are our longest running cable line, featuring twisted, tangle resistant geometry with molded ear hooks instead of memory wire, all connecting through custom matrix MMCX.

Smoky Lite Litz and Pure Copper Litz sit at the entry point. Smoky Lite Litz uses lightweight silver coated copper and a right angle 3.5mm plug. Pure Copper Litz swaps in high purity copper for a warmer voicing that works well at taming earphones that already run bright, and it is available with an inline three button microphone and remote for calls and media control.

Smoky Glow and Smoky Litz sit in the middle of the family. Smoky Glow uses the same silver plated copper as Smoky Litz but adds glow in the dark overmolds on the connectors and plug, useful if you are changing cables in low light or on stage. Smoky Litz XL, sometimes listed as the Artist Cable, is a longer version of the same design with a choice of colored or standard overmolds.

Super Smoky Litz sits at the top of the family: four thicker gauge, individually enameled silver plated copper conductors in a soft, pliable jacket, with a 3.5mm termination.

Who they're for: listeners who want the classic Litz feel and looks, anyone needing an inline mic and remote, and Moon Rover owners looking for a spare or backup cable that matches their stock experience.

SXC 8 and Gold 16

These two cables carry design lineage from ALO Audio, the cable brand our founder Ken Ball started before Campfire Audio, and both push further into premium conductor design than the rest of our lineup.

SXC 8 uses eight fine stranded 22 AWG conductors of silver plated high purity copper, each custom annealed to an extra soft temper, wrapped in a durable FEP jacket. The wire uses a reference type 8 weave, a stereo symmetrical design with opposing currents intended to reduce crosstalk between channels. It connects via custom matrix MMCX with 3.5mm or 2.5mm termination options.

Gold 16 is our top standalone cable. Sixteen conductors of gold plated OFC copper, each made from 24 individually gold plated strands around an inner fiber core, combine to an effective 18 AWG. The FEP jacket uses a jacketless common mode geometry that acts as a low impedance shield. Gold 16 is designed with balanced armature earphones specifically in mind, where its smooth, rich character tends to shine, and it is available in either custom matrix MMCX or 2-pin, with 3.5mm or 2.5mm termination.

Who they're for: listeners chasing the most refined cable pairing we offer, particularly for balanced armature heavy earphones like the ones in our Andromeda line.

Comparison Table

Which Earphones Use Which Connector

Custom matrix MMCX is standard across nearly all of our current range. Andromeda 10 and Chimera are the exceptions, both using standard 2-pin. If you are shopping for a replacement or upgrade cable, check your earphone's product page for its connector before choosing a cable. For a full breakdown of driver types and configurations across our range, see Driver Configurations Explained. You can also browse our full earphone lineup to check a specific model's connector before ordering.

Ready to Choose?

If you are replacing a worn stock cable, s Time Stream Chromatic or Metal Series are an excellent starting point with robust build and quality conductors.. If you are chasing a specific tonal shift, Duet and Silver give you a clear warm or bright direction to choose from. Multi source listeners seeking adaptability  should look to Time Link, and anyone seeking the most refined pairing available should consider SXC 8 or Gold 16. Browse our complete cable collection to compare current stock, or revisit Best IEMs Under $500 , Best IEMs Under $1,000, and Best IEMs Under $2,000 if you are still choosing an earphone before you choose a cable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all your earphones use the same cable connector? 

No. Most of our current range uses custom matrix MMCX. Andromeda 10 and Chimera use standard 2-pin instead, so check your model before buying a cable. Future releases will shift towards 2-pin, but we will still support our MMCX products as well.

What does litz construction actually do? 

Litz construction individually insulates each conductor strand before winding them together, reducing strand interaction and skin effect losses. It is used across our entire cable range, not just premium models.

Should I choose 4.4mm or 2.5mm balanced? 

Choose 4.4mm if your source supports it. We are phasing out 2.5mm in favor of 4.4mm, which has become the more widely supported and durable balanced standard.

Will a different cable dramatically change my earphones' sound? 

Expect real but modest changes, more noticeable on higher end products and fully fleshed-out signal chains . A cable will not transform your sound signature, but it can shift tonal balance slightly.

Can I use an adapter instead of buying the right termination? 

Using adapters to connect an unbalanced cable to the balanced port on your device can be harmful to your source device. Using an adapter to connect balanced cable to an unbalanced output is safe, but your output will remain unbalanced, despite using a balanced cable. We recommend using the correct termination to eliminate excess connection points. 

Which cable pairs best with balanced armature earphones? 

Gold 16 was designed with balanced armature earphones specifically in mind, and its smooth, rich character tends to complement models like Andromeda Emerald Sea and Andromeda 10 well.