Nightcraft Vesper and Nocturne REVIEW - The Power Duo

A brand new cable company hailing from Indonesia, let me introduce you to Nightcraft Audio. Their flagships Nocturne and Vesper are poised to take the cable world by storm with amazing value, sublime sonics and top build quality.

Pros:

-Super impressive sonics

-Very technical, musical & vast

-Extremely black background

-Great build quality

-Fantastic bass and mids

-Great smooth treble with endless extension

-Unbelievable value

CONS:

-Sonically nothing to complain about

-On the bulkier side

-Ear hooks can be stiff

Dear friends and audio-questing journey folk of the world, I bid you a great warm welcome and bienvenidos to my review of Nightcraft Cables! Hailing from Indonesia, sounding sublime and delivering a wallop of insane value to an overly drenched market full of (ridiculously overpriced) ultra flagships and limited editions, Nightcraft is a breath of fresh air. I got a chance to hear them only a few weeks ago on the show floor of Munich High End 2025, and even with a demo of perhaps 8 minutes or less, I was super impressed and reached out to NC directly. Who writes me back? A super kind young guy named Jonathan, a one man show who does this at night after his day job. How cool is that!? How is it possible a single young guy can take on the cable world all on his own - you’ll have to keep reading to find out.

I’ll be covering the Nocturne and Vesper, both pure copper high end upgrade cables priced at an “affordable” $1k and $1.5K respectively. Vesper being the current flagship, Nocturne the flat impedance neutral testament piece. Some may gasp, you call that affordable? Well, in a world where the newest and greatest cables reach stratospheric pricing like $5-8k, the humble NCs stand alone in terms of value for the money. I would go so far as to say they are the best value in the cable world at the moment. REALLY. In fact, they are so good I will be comparing them directly to some of the best ever made: the SS4 and Orpheus, arguably the Masterclasses in high end cables. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I’ll give you plenty to ponder over later on. For now my usual disclaimer, testing methods and the like. See you after the break!

- I received the Vesper and Nocturne directly from Nightcraft. They are mine to keep, though nothing was asked of me in return other than my unfiltered and honest impressions and critiques. I asked for 4.4mm and Versa connectors for flexibility.

- This is a review about upgrade cables. If you’re a believer, this will probably be enjoyable to read, and hopefully helpful too. If you aren’t, think it’s silly or stupid, just move on to something that interests you more. I won’t be hurt I promise. I’m a firm believer in cables, and 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. I find it not only worth the time and money, but a great source of fun and inspiration as well. At the end of the day how it sounds and how it makes you feel is all that matters.

- I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. No-one pays me for reviews, ever. 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. I pride myself on being very neutral and sharing my thoughts in a way that I hope will benefit the community. If I recommend something, it’s because I genuinely loved it, and I think you may too.

- For source I used my LP6 Ti AE, iBasso 320MAX EXN+, NiPO N2 and NiPO A100. I used my SAEQ Morpheus extensively as well.

- I start out with a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spend several weeks with the review item listening to whatever inspires me, like I normally would. I then come back to the testing tracks to solidify my impressions before sitting down to write the review. I also listen while I write, one of my favorite parts.

- I love all kinds of music and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion, you absolutely should take into consideration how their musical tastes **match or differ** from your own.

*My ever evolving testing playlist for your discovery is available HERE

*Also available on Qobuz HERE

Nightcraft Intro

I was standing on the show floor in Munich when a buddy of mine pulled out some cables, and said I needed to try them out. I had heard murmurs about Nightcraft on the forums, but I had never heard them, or even seen them. First thing that struck me was they were obviously inspired by the look of PWAudio - black twisted shielding up to the Y split, satin black hardware and soft nylon paracord above the Y split. I love this kind of look, so this was an immediate “ohhhhh nice” for me. Picking them up I was impressed by the sturdy feel and robust hardware. They felt utilitarian, functional, clean and classy. I think they’re gorgeous, so keep that in mind as we progress here - I’ve always preferred understated and clean over the bling and flash most companies use. I had my Traillii Ti and STORM with me, so I popped the Nocturne on my TTi and hit play. First thing I was greeted to brought instant memories of a very familiar sound, something I had owned and loved for years, the 1950s Shielding. It’s not the same of course, but that same lovely balance of technical, transparency and punchy tautness was an instant heart connection. The way it pushed the mids forward, kept the bass tight, and all the extra space, reverbs and decays floating off to the sides. This was a very holographic sound, supremely so! I asked how much, my buddy replied $1k. I was shocked! As an (impossibly) picky and ultra high end snob of all things cable related, I couldn’t believe something that sounded this good could be so “cheap”. Remember again the context we’re dealing with here, and don’t freak out about cable snake oil or diminishing returns.

I won’t mention it again.

The Noct has a twisted black pair of shielded wires up to the Y split, and then a soft light grey paracord style sheathing up to the 2 pins. The shrink was black and extremely stiff, but we’ll address that later on I promise. The Vesper, selling for “only” $1.5k had the same twisted black bottom end with a thicker and beefier feel to it. After the Y split it was bare copper conductor twisted up to the 2 pins, this time with a thinner clear type of shrink on the hooks. It was bigger and thicker, but still quite light weight in hand. They both were built like a tank.

Vesper immediately gave me a noticeably larger stage, and more perceived detail, extension and space. While losing a bit of the reference style balance and up-close punch, I got instead a more technical, vast and airy presentation, a wow moment for me. I was immediately impressed, beyond impressed really. Great bass, very wide stage, super tall and deep. Just to make sure, I went back to the Nocturne, and after giving it more time to adjust my brain I found the stage to be actually quite similar in size, with a very detailed and expansive sound, it was simply putting space in different places. Instruments to the center, space to the sides, super holographic! Perceived resolution is a bit less, but more on that later. Vesper is more the immediate wow, Nocturne grows on you and has more of a sleeper vibe going on. Not to be discounted.

Later on I asked my buddy for the contact to the builder, and wrote him about how much I had liked his cables. Jonathan wrote me back maybe 10 minutes later, and this began a wonderful kinship between two audio souls in search of perfection. He agreed to send me both cables for review, and I was thrilled. I went from no knowledge of his work at all, to having cables on the way in a matter of just a few days. Normally I know everything I can about what I’m going to review, searching it out even, but this came out of left field entirely by surprise. And it all came from a quick aside hanging out in MHE, with demo cables coming out of a backpack.

Jonathan makes these cables himself at night, after his day job. I think that’s super cool, a true passionate endeavor. His logo is a golden owl, which I have to admit I didn’t catch at first, but is a nice tip of the hat to his Night Owl side. Jonathan is as nice as guy as one could ever ask for. He’s very open, honest, and genuinely looking for honest feedback about how to improve his work. I appreciate this kind of thing so much, many people in the industry I meet are hard set on what they make being their art and their personal thing, getting upset or defensive if one was to criticize, even in the nicest way and with the best of intentions. As is the case with all things, I was very impressed with the cables, but not without some questions and minor concerns. Over the course of a few weeks now I not only understand his passion and hard work ethic, but also his flexibility and openness which is fantastic.

Just to clarify something right away, I am in no way affiliated with Nightcraft, or Jonathan’s interests. I heard, and then asked for review units. He obliged, and since then we have discussed and exchanged extensively about them, future changes that could be made to improve them, and thoughts about audio in general. What I am telling you all here is my honest and true thoughts, and in no way am I promoting NC other than spreading my enjoyment and impressions about his cables. I hope that’s clear - now let’s turn towards the Nightcraft official literature to see what they have to say about this power duo.

VESPER

Made from ultra-pure OCC copper that has

undergone cryogenic treatment, Vesper provides an

expansive, immersive, layered three-dimensional

presentation that reveals minute details and

micro-dynamics. Expect a deep, articulate bass, lush

natural mids and extended high frequency that are

all presented with precise timing and spatial

accuracy. Vesper threads the fine balance of

analytical precision and musical engagement.

Specifications:

Material : OCC Copper Multi Sized Litz, Cryogenically Treated.

Gauge : 24 AWG, 8 Wires

Construction : Separate channel shielding up to Y-split Or Unshielded.

Pin : AEC 2 pin 0.78mm Gold Plated

Plug : Pentaconn OFC 4.4

NOCTURNE

The Nocturne is a specialist in balance, clarity and

scale. Without altering the IEM’s original tonality, it

delivers an enveloping, holographic stage filled with

precise, effortless detail. A darker backdrop also

paves the way for punchier lows and a richer

midrange, ensuring vast, vivid sonics at every turn.

Specifications

Material : High Purity Copper

Gauge : 26 AWG x 8

Pin : AEC 2 pin 0.78mm Gold Plated

Plug : Pentaconn OFC 4.4 Gold Plated

Length : 1.2m (+- 5cm)

So, TL:DR what do we have here? Nocturne is a pure copper cable designed to be neutral and transparent. It has forward mids, great punch and a somewhat polite touch to it. Smidge of warmth, adding little and letting the IEM speak for itself. The tuning is more neutral, while remaining lovely and engaging. A very large stage with reverbs off to the sides and instruments occupying more of the middle. Reminds me of 1950s or even First Times Shielding, but more holographic. It can come off a bit flat or dry even, but after some time you get used to it. A friend called it “sleepy” and in some cases I definitely hear that as well. Don’t get the wrong idea here, Noct isn’t some dark and muddy thing, absolutely not. Vesper is more expansive and detailed sounding with a touch of otherworldly atmosphere. Edges seem more defined. It hits harder, is less polite, and trades forward mids and slightly thicker notes for a great upgrade in staging, perceived technicals and extremely good extension. Vesper has much more bass, more sub, more open mids and very resolving and clear upper mids and treble. It gets this with clever tuning of leaner and more airy top end, so the perceived detail is a noticeable uptick, though if you listen carefully they’re actually quite similar in actual detail retrieval.

Both of these cables have very very black backgrounds. Like pitch black. They both have very large stages, great separation and spatial cueing. Pin point micro details and stereo holography. Very cool.

In my testing I found Nocturne to need a few clicks more gain to achieve the same volume. As Noct has a linear impedance design, this means it needs more juice. If you ever demo them back to back, keep this in mind. More than once at the beginning I was surprised why Noct sounded kind of small and dark, but it was just the volume and after adjusting it things we’re far closer between the two cables.

One thing to note, Vesper needed a LOT of burnin time. Jonathan recommended 120 hrs but I found it really only started to open up fully after 200hrs. He feels the versa connectors are at least partly responsible for the added time needed, seems possible to me too. Being my first experience with Versa I can say they are super convenient, especially for a reviewer such as myself. What impact they have on the SQ is not for me to say, as I haven’t heard another identical cable with standard 2 pins. From what I have read, that Versa is the best modular system available, but it does impact the sound somewhat. I’ll try and get another cable to test this AB style and report back. I really enjoy the possibility to swap connectors around with various IEMs, especially in a testing environment. If the difference is substantial I would ask Jonathan to re-terminate with the connector of my choice once I figure out which IEM I prefer it on. That’s a hard choice!

PACKAGING & PRESENTATION

The cables come in a nice black box, with a black shiny paper cover, the NC logo emblazoned in gold. Inside the outer cover is the actual box, satin black with the logo now in glossy black lettering. It looks really cool, and I dig the subtle and understated looks. Inside the box is a good sized dark blue leather case in a rectangular size. Inside that is lighter blue velvety lining, with a small removable divider that you can keep the IEMs protected. There’s a serial number card, some stickers and a cool pin. It’s nice and simple, and I for one love when a cable comes in a very useable case that can fit IEMs as well. I use only huge cables lately, and cases for IEMs almost never fit those cables. This I can and will use for storage and even travel maybe.

The case is good quality, though a touch plastic feeling over really luxurious and supple leather. Perhaps it needs to be oiled or conditioned, it may soften up well. Also the zipper seems to be a little janky, not always sliding smoothly but this is small potatoes. In use it’s a nice case with plenty of room and very portable. I for one removed the divider and used my cloth bags for IEMs, it’s just easier to toss the whole thing in there instead of always having to arrange the IEMs in the divider.

That’s all there is to that, and I’m very pleased. This is all that is needed for a cable, something useful! No metal cases that scratch the hardware, or too small and you have to kink the cable to get it in there. No extravagant packaging that just takes up space in my closet. All that you need and nothing more. Well done NC!

ERGO and BUILD

As mentioned above these are built like a tank. They feel solid, soft where they should be soft and very sturdy where needed. The braiding on the shielding is perfect, as is the cable above the Y split. They are of course still new so the paracord feels a touch stiff but that will soften as it did with my Orpheus or anything with paracord. I don’t see any weird glue, gaps or creases, or anything to comment about. They are very well made, and feel like they should cost 4x more. Very impressed.

Both are soft and supple enough, both have some microphonics due to the shielding, with Noct having more from the nylon paracord above the Y split. Overall the Noct is softer and more flexible, with a thinner wire build. Vesper doesn’t have the nylon, but its bare copper wire insulation is stiffer by a bit. Noct has a larger feel above the Y split with the added nylon, while Vesper feels thinner and a bit stiff from the larger gauge transducers and thicker insulation. They’re both comfortable especially when considering they’re fairly bulky and thick style of cable. I Love the hardware, nothing to say about it. And, the chin cinch works perfectly! It’s almost a touch too tight, but that’s much better than too loose and falling down all the time. It’ll certainty loosen up a touch when the nylon softens too.

I personally prefer no ear hooks on my cables, this is a personal thing for me. I find it allows the cable to drape and sit where it naturally goes, never forcing, or twisting to match a certain shape or curve. It also holds the IEM in place with its weight, without pulling it away from your head if the shrink angle isn’t perfect. It all started with the Sovereign Symphony 4W, and since then I’ve never looked back. I know others don’t feel this way, so take this for what it is: my personal preference only.

I think the ear hook shrink is too stiff on NC cables. When I tested the Nocturne in Munich it had some black shrink that looked awesome, but was unbelievably stiff. Reminded me of my Rhapsodio FC4W which pulls the IEMs out of my ears constantly. After speaking with Jonathan he made me both cables with a thinner clear shrink, and it’s *much* better, but still could be thinner and more flexible. Having spoken at great length about this with Jonathan - and while he understood my OCD feelings about removing the hooks altogether- he recommended that I use very light heat with a hairdryer and bend the hooks more to my liking. This worked a charm! The angle could be relatively easily reshaped, the curve was better, but still they don’t drape so much as hold the cable super firmly. Secure yes, softly not so much. So, he’s already working on a new material that is thinner and more flexible, I’ve even seen testing photos. This is why I love to exchange with someone like Jonathan, he takes some critical feedback, and uses it as inspiration to improve his product. Not wasting a moment, he jumped on a solution, saw that it was better, and has since adopted the change for all his new products. That’s awesome.

As this is really my only physical gripe with the cables, I don’t really have anything else to say here. The “issue” is a small one, with an easy “fix”, I’m just thrilled Jonathan was open enough to consider my suggestion.

SOUND

Both of these cables feature pure copper builds but shouldn’t be considered typical sounding at all. Vesper is a masterclass in modern tuning, with a very defined, technical and vast sound. It reminds me somewhat of the Eletech Ode To Laura, with its fast and punchy bass, textured mids and slight thinning and ethereal upper mids and treble. OTL gets too bright for me, with too much emphasis on the lower treble, but not so with Vesper. Vesper balances the energy, weight, bass, space and technicals on a razors edge, with a seemingly perfect blend of all parts that never seem to step on each other’s toes.

As I mentioned above, before being fully opened up I found Vesper to be good, but not amazing. It sounded too treble focused, light on bass, and a bit bright. Fast forward 200 hrs and it’s a REALLY different cable. Bass is huge and flushed out with tremendous presence and super satisfying rumble. The top end has softened up a great deal, with far more extension and air than before. Also the upper mids smoothed out, got some more weight and power, and the overall feeling is far more analog, balanced, weighted and enjoyable. It went from good to fabulous and seems to be opening up more and more as the hours add on.

NC ships their cables with about 50 hours of burn-in already, which is a great offering. I did another 100 hours but I heard less change with Noct. Out of the box I was very pleased with its nicely detailed, more neutral and balanced sound with a slightly polite feel to it. It’s forward mids I really enjoy, they are super detailed and weighted, something that matters a lot to me. Mostly neutral levels of bass that do have quite some punch if not the same throb and guttural slam way down under. The top end isn’t rolled off, far from it, but it’s not the endless atmospheric vertical sprawl the Vesper offers up. The sense of holography is phenomenal, and as I mentioned earlier it has great sense of detail it’s simply a bit warmer and softer. Stage size is really good, just not godly tall like Vesper, or something like Orpheus and SS4.

There is a touch of extra sizzle right around the 5-6khz range, something that does add a bit of bite and clarity. With certain IEMs I do get a touch of sibilance or snarl there. It’s light, and very IEM dependent. In fact, I found Noct to transform quite a bit based on what it was plugged into. Case in point; with DIO and Storm it felt slightly cloudy compared on the edges, but after some time it even gave off a more intense and razor edged attack in the mids. The upper mids and treble are less pronounced, and therefore it can appear to be smoother and less detailed, but I think if you listen closely you’ll hear it differently. Reverbs being placed way off to the sides sometimes even gave a sense the air and space was louder than it should be, being more disconnected to the sound that created them. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all, with something like RY X, Kandace Springs or Maya Delilah the sense of space around their voices was phenomenal. The even weight and slightly lusty lower treble was wonderful too, and in some ways I preferred it over the slightly wispy Vesper. Add it to Clara or my trusty 18t customs and quite some attack and dynamics that were missing without it appeared out of nowhere. In those cases Vesper simply didn’t give the same level of balance or synergy, even if it was more “resolving” and “open”. I feel it must be an impedance thing, super easy to drive IEMs tended to get “more” out of Nocturne, where harder to drive IEMs like STORM and DIO I heard slight veils on the attack initially. With Traillii Ti I actually really enjoyed both, Vesper taking it up and outwards, Noct bringing it in for more punch, intimacy and power. Interesting indeed.

Speaking of mids, let’s discuss this point. I’ve made it clear my love for mids being weighted, forward and with great levels of clarity. That’s where all the good stuff is: voices, guitars, drums hits, keys and synths screaming out, or a distorted and baritone guitar rumbling with ferocity. This has to be perfect for me to enjoy the set, the cable, the source. So goes my affinity for TTi, STORM. One thing I don’t enjoy is when mids thin out or becomes wispy in the upper mids and lower treble, all for the sake of air and space. Upper guitars, female vocals, snare snaps, thwacks of toms and key pads, they lose their body and weight, and things start to sound unnatural to me. I know for a fact that this is something MANY people prefer, actively search for, love etc. I get it. As a musician and studio engineer this is a pet peeve of mine, and tuning tweaks can quickly ruin a set for me.

Nocturne mids are perfect for me. They are forward, weighted, plenty of thwack and punch, good clarity and very natural tuning. Vesper has the win for spread, wow effect, detail and space, but it does thin out ethereally up top just a bit, and I find it a bit distracting sometimes. Some female vocals can get a bit wispy, though not nasal or honky thankfully. Now, I am getting used to it, and learning to enjoy it a lot. But it is there, and it’s really the only thing about the Vesper I don’t like. In fact I would say it’s the only thing standing in the way of it being PERFECT for me. This is a slight thing, it’s not super thin or overly wispy. I just like when the mids, upper mids and lower treble have equal parts weight, detail and transients. It gives a very uniform and realistic sound, where everything comes at you in a solid image, rather than focusing on small or certain parts of the frequency range that may jut out, impress, or detract as the case may be. Nocturne is more correct in this sense, if I can be so bold to say so. If Jonathan was able to get the positioning and weight of Noct mids, with the staging, performance and technical capabilities of Vesper this could be an endgame cable, alongside my absolute favorite of all time - the Sovereign Symphony by Nightjar. Keeping in mind this is only my personal opinion, and my preferences, for most people the Vesper might be perfect as is.

PAIRINGS

ORIOLUS Traillii Ti

Vesper With Traillii Ti is a fantastic combo, from the punchy bass to endless extension, mids that are as velvety as they are resolving, and perfect spatial cues. Kick decay, sub ruble, all fabulous. One of my favorite cables for TTi.

Nocturne I really enjoyed, adding in a healthy does of dynamics and midbass thump. The mids were extremely forward in this case, with vocals seemingly sitting in my lap and plenty of details. The top end was the only slightly lackluster element, where I definitely preferred the Vesper in this area. It feels a bit like the ceiling of the room is taken off and the top end finally had some room to breathe. While no slouch in the vertical enhancement category, the Vesper is superior for that and TTi loved to extend.

Vesper is currently attached to my TTi and it’s awesome.

SUBTONIC STORM

With STORM Vesper is really good also, though in this case I do prefer something that’s a bit less thin in the upper mids as that shines a light on the already piercingly detailed and transparency that only STORM can provide. Bass and lower mids are insanely good, as is the top end being super smooth and as airy as anything I’ve ever heard. Drums and guitars lost of bit of their reference realism that I love on STORM so much. Some may really like this one though, so YMMV.

Nocturne I liked more overall for its tuning, the PRat and energy were fantastic. One of the best things about the STORM is the roar and unbelievable clarity in all frequency ranges, something the SS4, or SS8 do without a moment’s pause and with extremely effortless grace. While I really enjoyed the Nocturne here, the stage was a little bit crowded in the middle, as STORM’s stage isn’t huge in this area to begin with. Some of the deep subs of STORM was also lost, instead replaced with almost thunderous midbass that rattled my bones with power. The SS4 has a more open and breathing room mid section, and this does the STORM nicely. Considering they were made for each other, literally, this is a hard synergy to top and one I don’t spend a ton of time experimenting with since it’s already perfect. I did keep the Noct on my STORM for a while and I really loved it. But you can’t quite mess with perfection.

CFA Clara (Review)

This is a good one, they both worked extremely well. Noct was a wonderful mix of intimacy and extreme staging in the reverbs and details. In this case the stage seemed very similar between the two, with Vesper taking instruments and spreading them way out to the sides, Noct keeping this in the middle with reverbs and decays seemingly endless off to the sides. This was one of the main examples of extreme reverb presence where other IEMs didn’t show this nearly as much. With Nocturne Agnes Obel’s Dorian, DJRum’s CODEX, or Esperanza Spalding’s Unconditional Love the reverbs were so wild and swirling it almost overpowered the vocals. It was quite cool too, but not exactly realistic. A strange side effect perhaps. In my initial notes I called it sonic turbulence, and while that sounds like a negative the sense of surround sound holography was off the charts. Pretty cool!

Vesper was great, though again I noticed the thinner mids more so here as the Clara resin version has this as part of its tuning. Bass and lower mids were fantastic, as was treble which was effortless and smooth. Things like snare drum attacks were a touch thin and weightless, something I prefer to be fatter and with more power.

I have the Nocturne currently attached to my Clara and loving every minute of it.

ELYSIAN DIO

This is my newest IEM and I’m totally in love. Its staging, unbelievable bass and ridiculously extended and velvety treble are sublime. In some cases I really get the same sense of space, warmth and rumble the Fugaku gave me. I’m not saying they’re the same, but the itch I want to scratch with Fugaku is more or less satisfied with DIO. It’s also super easy to drive and responds like crazy to cable changes.

I started with SS4 and that’s phenomenal. I don’t know anything that isn’t with that beast. But that’s pretty much super glued to my TTi most of the time, so the experimentation began.

Vesper and DIO is a match made in heaven, amazing pairing. The high stage size, very detailed mids, throbbing and guttural bass with sub rumble for days. So much fun! Vesper’s endless top end and air do wonders here. DIO has some of the best treble ever and this is doing it favors like crazy. I do notice the thinning upper mids here, but since the DIO isn’t crazy fat and weighted to begin with, it’s not such an issue. It’s not adding any weight, but it’s not really losing much either.

Nocturne has more punch, with greater weight and I do enjoy what it does to the mids. There is more midbass punch, but less rumble. The top end isn’t as crazy extended, and the edges of the midrange attack and transients can feel a bit softened and pillowy compared. But this is mostly a tuning trick of Vesper rather than a technical achievement. Despite Noct’s flatter and more dry tuning, the literal amount of detail is similar, but in this case the Vesper makes the DIO sound immense, while the Nocturne is more intimate and powerful. The Vesper plays on the DIO’s top end strengths, making an obscenely spacious and cavernous sound.

Honestly I can’t make up my mind which one I like better, and have been going back and forth for the last few days to the point of madness. When in doubt get them both!

CABLE COMPARISONS

Here we go, into the nitty gritty. Please remember that I am comparing these two amazing cables to the two best I’ve ever heard. The Orpheus by PW Audio, and the Sovereign Symphony from Nightjar. Both cost five times more, and are hard to get. Considering the price gap the differences are smaller than you’d think, but it’s also not fair to assume they would be exactly equal either.

The Orpheus (Review)

One of the best ever made! I’ve mentioned it above some already, but just to reaffirm; Orphy mids are untouched. They are magnificent and stunning. Wide and open, extremely micro detailed and with great bite and power. They are thicker, more forward and with almost endless spread to the hard sides. It’s a wild experience. The bass is thunderous and growly, like a tube amp that just snarls at you. Nothing else has ever sounded like that to me. Especially with DIO, it’s nuts. It’s also fairly small and soft compared to the others here. Perhaps that’s because mine was years old and had seen tons of listening time, only time will tell, especially for the NCs. SS4 is much bigger.

But, the drawbacks are there, and it can be hard to pair based on its imposing nature. For one it’s quite colored. Warm and fat, this isn’t always easy to match. It has a lot of bass. The top end is quite smooth, bordering on cut off, something that can drastically affect an IEMs top end. Like in the DIO. There’s so much missing up top in terms of space and air, even if the details are all there, it feels like the ceiling just came down a few feet. It has a bump in the upper mids around 4-5khz that can bring out sibilance in some IEMs.

Aside from these setbacks the Orphy still stands alone in a world of ultra modern summit cables. It’s full of richness and incredible musicality. Even a day after letting mine go I miss it already. Perhaps some day I’ll have it for the 4th time. If you have a Traillii JP get the Orphy and call it quits, desert island setup, and one of the best pairings I’ve ever heard.

The Vesper and Nocturne as pretty different here. While Nocturne has some traits that Orphy shares like forward mids, punchier mid bass and stage stretching to the sides, the Orphy has more micro detail and more personality. It hits harder and with more fervor. Noct is also a bit less colored, more safe a tuning, and far more easy to pair with most IEMs. On a musical level the Orphy just knocks everything out of the park, but does so with heavy coloration and imposition. Vesper is lighter in stance, less colored, and in this regard is a much easier pairing. It’s way more open up top, with endless air over Orphy’s rather rolled off experience. It has a lot of detail, bit Orphy edges it out in the mids. I would say Vesper’s top end and even lower treble is more detailed, and more clear. It sounds more modern over Orphy’s kinda old school vibes. Just quite different.

I bought an Orpheus again, my 3rd!, especially for DIO. I wanted to see if I could get that uber analog HEX vibe added in there, with fatter mids and epic Orphy spread, growly bass included. Did it work? Hell yeah it did. Some of the best bass I’ve ever heard, slamming and growling like nothing else I’ve heard. But, and this is quite big but, the top end felt neutered to the point that I was losing out on the Elysian special sauce. It was quite warm, while some tracks were literally mind-blowing, overall it was just too much of a good thing. If I was to listen only to vocals and spatial stuff this was Fugaku levels of woah... but much other stuff was a warm pillowy bath of musicality and lacking breathing room up top.

The SS4 (Review)

I said this cable is without sonic fault in my review, and it still stands true. It sounds incredible. It’s huge and vast, extremely detailed and thunderous, airy and spacious with big note weight and crispy musical details. It’s unstoppable for what it does.

It is a big heavy cable, and not for everyone. It’s stiff enough to cause some fit issues, even if for me it’s fine. It’s very very expensive too. Hard to get, long wait times. I think it’s worth it, but for many it’s simply unnecessary. The Sovereign 2W is a better choice for many, same tuning in a lighter package and most of the technical performance and staging.

The SS4 is extremely transparent, and very *very* detailed. Everything is so clear, so open and so vibrant that you may feel even a touch overwhelmed. It is the maximum resolution, the maximum everything. The largest stage of any cable for width, depth and sub extension, with the only exception being Orphy’s mids. Note weight, dynamics and overall massiveness are off the charts. Extension, depth, sub bass, reach, all top notch if not bewildering. It’s phenomenal, but intense.

The Vesper has a fairly similar tuning, it’s just a bit less of everything. Not as detailed, not at vast or open, not as huge and massive sounding. Vesper is taller with more extension, coming in part I would guess from the thinner upper mids and more weightless treble. Its bass is a bit punchier, but less extended and seeming to come from one point where SS bass is all around you. Vesper has a lighter presentation up top, SS is pretty much evenly weighty all the way to the top. Vesper is no slouch here, and I would say honestly Vesper is probably the better deal. If you’re not the absolute die hard audiophile that needs the best of the best, the Vesper will get you 90% there. That’s quite something for a $1500 cable. If you demand the best, the SS is where it’s at.

Nocturne tuning wise is closer to First Times Shielding or 1950s Shielding and therefore should be closer considered for that kind of sound. The note weight is similar, but the SS is anything but dry, and its stage is absolutely massive with intense holography. In this comparison the Noct seems somewhat overly intimate, and “sleepy”.

CONCLUSION

Here we arrive at the end, I hope all this was informative and helpful to you in some way. Obviously I am very passionate about cables, and extremely detail focused in everything I do. Therefore any nits and picks should be taken with a grain of salt. My taste for fuller upper mids is a PERSONAL thing and should not be taken as canon or fact. What Jonathan and Nightcraft have done here is nothing short of phenomenal. He created two amazing cables, for very reasonable prices, that just might upend the cable industry. They sound amazing, are built like tanks, feature a beautiful look and very refined and experience lead design. I have small concerns, like the ear hooks and some slight wispiness, but this is very minor and very OCD influenced. My OCD of course. Yes, there are one or two other cables in the world that might surpass them, but they cost 5 times more, and the gains aren’t unilaterally “better” but perhaps more about preference.

If someone was to ask what cable to get, either of these would be high on the list, if not top contender. While Vesper is sure to get more public eye time- it’s more wow and more Hi-Fi bonkers style- Nocturne should be right there besides it. On many occasions I preferred it, what it does is unique and justly fantabulous. For some it is absolutely the better choice, and competes in every way against its more spaciously tuned brother.

If you like a spacious airy sound with amazing treble extension and deep subs rumble, get the Vesper.

If you prefer a more linear mid focused sound, extreme holography and plenty of punch, get the Nocturne.

Boom done!

For the money, these are nothing short of incredible. I thusly award the Nightcraft Vesper and Nocturne highest honors, and bestow upon them my TTS “Best Value in Cables award of 2025! They earned a sacred spot at the (nearly) top of the top, regardless of price. To say I’m impressed would be a grave understatement, NC and Jonathan deserve extreme praise here. Wow indeed! :)

I wish to thanks Jonathan for his warm welcome and gracious patience towards my endless questions and ideas. It’s been a joy, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Since this is a brand new company, there isn’t even a website yet. If you’re interested in getting one for yourself you may contact Jonathan directly via email or Instagram.

nightcraftaudio@gmail.com

@nightcraftaudio

Thanks everyone!! ☺️