SLEEK SA6
Packaging- Arrives very well packaged. It is obvious this is very well thought out. The first thing I did when trying to pry the earphones out of their recesses was to think ‘hey, where’s the cord?’….but then remembered that it’s detachable. I just love that the cord can be replaced easily if need be. There is a cardboard piece with cut-outs for the various tips and bass ports. They are each marked so that you don’t have to keep them in their appropriate spaces on that card. I only worry about losing one of the pieces that is not in use because they are so tiny, and the card doesn’t really hold them very securely.
ACCESSORIES- Not much, just a hard case (although it works well) and a cleaning tool. The case has a cool center section for winding the cable into, which handles it smartly. The only drawback is that the case is rather thick.
SOUND-
TREBLE: Very smooth and refined. There is wonderful detail, air, and instrument separation. The sound is very smooth (or so I find even with the “treble +” ports installed- even though they're the most aggressive port, they're not harsh at all). Cymbals are incredibly detailed and “right” sounding. Instruments seem etched in space.
MIDRANGE: Again very smooth and refined, with texture and nuances. Vocals sound very natural and in their proper place. The only drawback to the mids seems to be with good hard-driving rock music. They don’t seem to have that compelling oomph and energy that the Denon C700 or Future Sonics Atrio do. I suspect that these are more of a jazz-lover’s earhpone. Piano has incredible presence, with the whack of the hammer on the string being almost palpable.
BASS: I think this is probably the biggest weakness. It’s not bad, it’s just not in the league of the Future Sonics Atrio, or Denon C700. It’s not too far off from the C700 though, and what it has is very good in tautness and definition. There may be more bass detail and character to the type of instruments you are hearing. But also by comparison the bass is worlds better than on the Klipsch Custom 3 (as is every frequency!). The bass should keep most extremely satisfied, unless you want the last word in weight and slam.
ISOLATION- Very good, being an IEM (of course I won’t truly know until my first business trip with them). The dual-flange tips are wonderful, and I just wish the ones for the Atrios did as good of a job! They are the best tips I’ve used, bar none. They don’t ever break seal, and they don’t back out at all. They just stay put, and are not finicky about the angle they’re inserted at. A real thing of beauty.
SUMMARY- I like the Sleek SA6 rather well. I am not sure if it is my final earphone. I still don’t have that final “this is it” feeling from them, but they do quite well in many regards. They’re very refined in the treble and midrange areas, as well as soundstage. There is so much life and naturalness to the mid & upper registers without any hint of harshness or sibilance that they are incredibly relaxing to listen to. Now if they just had that last level of bass slam and extension, they would be ‘IT’. One other point I should mention is that they take EQ’ing very well. They sound rather flat by comparison to the Denon C700 without any EQ, but they come way up in energy with subtle EQ adjustments. And they don’t show any weird exaggeration in the process unless you just go totally nuts with any of your band adjustments. I don’t own a heaphone amplifier (thank goodness for my wallet I like the idea of the most portable rig possible), but I feel like these would take amplification very well too. Anyone want to contribute in this regard?
Thanks for checking out the review.
(pictures to follow soon)
You can see how tiny the pieces are....BE CAREFUL not to drop or lose!
Comply tips installed