[Originally posted at Basshead.Club]
![color]](http://www.basshead.club/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/806_ASGB_Jpeg_-e1431583254533.jpg[color=rgb(90, 90, 90)][/color])
Bring on the thunder.
The Aurisonics ASG-B has the most bass depth of any IEM to grace my ears. They are absolutely thunderous, digging deep into your chest and taking your breath away.
The ASG-B uses a 14.2mm dynamic driver that pounds harder than anything I’ve heard. The direct impact is good to very good–surpassed only by the Pioneer SE-CX8 and SE-CX9 (which create an artificial hit with a Bass Exciter)–and the depth is absolutely outstanding. They are the sub-bass kings.
Listening to a fair amount of electronic music and rap is absolutely enjoyable. The bass depth is on another level. I was taken by surprise when I actually had to stay my hand with the equalizer. I usually nearly max out the dB on the low frequencies with my system using any headphones or earphones. With the ASG-B, I was much more conservative than usual. My ears surrendered well before the IEM waved the white flag; it could still have pumped out more bass than I could handle.
The earphone housing itself is 3d printed to fit 95% of ears like a custom, and apparently I am one of the 95%. They are very comfortable with an over-ear cable for long term listening comfort. If you care about microphonics, these cables are better than most I’ve heard and really don’t need to be replaced. The ear tips are also excellent. They’re more gel-like than other ear tips I’ve used and do a great job of creating a seal.
The case is super durable, but it’s a little tight for the IEMs. I believe Aurisonics plans to send a larger case with these in the future, but I haven’t received official confirmation on that as of yet.
The main weakness of the ASG-B is its dark default signature with highs rolled off in favor of the bass. These are never going to achieve the clarity of something that also has a Balanced Armature driver (like the Aurisonics ASG-2.5), but they’re also a lot less expensive than hybrid offerings.
The bottom line: These deliver more bass depth than any other IEM I’m aware of. They are not inexpensive, and offer a very dark tonality. If you are a bassist, drummer, or DJ, I would not hesitate in this purchase. These are perfect for you. If you are concerned primarily with listening to music instead of playing it, you’ll need to invest some time into getting the EQ to sound good to you, and even then you’re not going to achieve great clarity. However, with such amazing sub-bass, these have really made me interested in the Aurisonics ASG-2.5, which use the same dynamic driver for the low end and add 2 Balanced Armature drivers for clarity. The Aurisonics ASG-B is a true bassist IEM, and the most thunderous basshead IEM I’ve heard for breathtaking depth.
I wanted to thank the folks at InEarGear.com for providing me with the Aurisonics ASG-B on loan for this review.
Frequency Response: 8 Hz – 25 kHz
Impedance: 41 Ohms +/- 10% @ 1 kHz
Sensitivity: 119 dB @ 1mW
Passive Noise Attenuation: NRR 24 dB
Construction: 3D printed, Digital Hybrid Technology (DHT) shell fits 95% of ears like a custom
Cable: Detachable silver-plated low oxygen copper cable
Color: Frosted Clear
Warranty: 1 year
Bring on the thunder.
The Aurisonics ASG-B has the most bass depth of any IEM to grace my ears. They are absolutely thunderous, digging deep into your chest and taking your breath away.
Aurisonics ASG-B In the Box
- Shock/Dust/Waterproof hard case
- SureSeal™ tips
- Cleaning tool
- ASG-B
- Detachable cable
Aurisonics ASG-B Impressions
Aurisonics has in-ears for a wide variety of musicians and music listeners. The ASG-B fills a very specific niche: it is targeted at bassists, drummers, and DJs. Because of this, the sound signature leaves the upper frequencies intentionally dark so bass players can hear themselves above other musicians. That means to get a overall pleasant tonal quality to your music–with a few exceptions–you’ll likely want to use an equalizer to compensate. If you’re a bassist playing on a stage, you’re all set.The ASG-B uses a 14.2mm dynamic driver that pounds harder than anything I’ve heard. The direct impact is good to very good–surpassed only by the Pioneer SE-CX8 and SE-CX9 (which create an artificial hit with a Bass Exciter)–and the depth is absolutely outstanding. They are the sub-bass kings.
Listening to a fair amount of electronic music and rap is absolutely enjoyable. The bass depth is on another level. I was taken by surprise when I actually had to stay my hand with the equalizer. I usually nearly max out the dB on the low frequencies with my system using any headphones or earphones. With the ASG-B, I was much more conservative than usual. My ears surrendered well before the IEM waved the white flag; it could still have pumped out more bass than I could handle.
The earphone housing itself is 3d printed to fit 95% of ears like a custom, and apparently I am one of the 95%. They are very comfortable with an over-ear cable for long term listening comfort. If you care about microphonics, these cables are better than most I’ve heard and really don’t need to be replaced. The ear tips are also excellent. They’re more gel-like than other ear tips I’ve used and do a great job of creating a seal.
The case is super durable, but it’s a little tight for the IEMs. I believe Aurisonics plans to send a larger case with these in the future, but I haven’t received official confirmation on that as of yet.
The main weakness of the ASG-B is its dark default signature with highs rolled off in favor of the bass. These are never going to achieve the clarity of something that also has a Balanced Armature driver (like the Aurisonics ASG-2.5), but they’re also a lot less expensive than hybrid offerings.
The bottom line: These deliver more bass depth than any other IEM I’m aware of. They are not inexpensive, and offer a very dark tonality. If you are a bassist, drummer, or DJ, I would not hesitate in this purchase. These are perfect for you. If you are concerned primarily with listening to music instead of playing it, you’ll need to invest some time into getting the EQ to sound good to you, and even then you’re not going to achieve great clarity. However, with such amazing sub-bass, these have really made me interested in the Aurisonics ASG-2.5, which use the same dynamic driver for the low end and add 2 Balanced Armature drivers for clarity. The Aurisonics ASG-B is a true bassist IEM, and the most thunderous basshead IEM I’ve heard for breathtaking depth.
I wanted to thank the folks at InEarGear.com for providing me with the Aurisonics ASG-B on loan for this review.
Aurisonics ASG-B Frequency Response Graph
This curve was generated using a Dayton Audio EMM-6 Electret Measurement Microphone, Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 audio interface, and Room EQ Wizard. The mic calibration file was provided by Dayton Audio and the output calibration file was generated using the program itself (3.5mm out on PC to 1/4″ input on Scarlett 2i4).
Aurisonics ASG-B Specifications
Driver: Precision dynamic 14.2mmFrequency Response: 8 Hz – 25 kHz
Impedance: 41 Ohms +/- 10% @ 1 kHz
Sensitivity: 119 dB @ 1mW
Passive Noise Attenuation: NRR 24 dB
Construction: 3D printed, Digital Hybrid Technology (DHT) shell fits 95% of ears like a custom
Cable: Detachable silver-plated low oxygen copper cable
Color: Frosted Clear
Warranty: 1 year
Aurisonics ASG-B
$2998.3
BASS IMPACT
8/10
BASS DEPTH
9.5/10
OVERALL SOUND
7/10
BUILD QUALITY
9/10
REVIEWER BIAS
8/10
PROS
- - Incredible bass depth
- - Good bass impact
- - Top notch quality
- - Nice ear tips and cable
- - Perfect for bassists
CONS
- - Default sound signature is very dark
- - Case is too small
- - Not cheap if you just want crazy depth
- - Needs amp--not great directly from a phone
- - Won't fit some ears well (true of most IEMs)
To be honest, if you want to go straight from a phone, you're probably better off sticking under the $200 mark for the most part. Many more expensive earphones don't need an amp to sound good, but they do need one to sound better than something cheaper.
Someone good to ask would be ljokerl at The Headphone List. Tell him you want a good basshead type IEM to listen straight from an iPhone without EQ, and I bet he'll have a lot of suggestions.
If you listen to a lot of electronic music like me, the JVC HA-FXZ200 is great even without EQ or an amp. If you have a way to bump the bass a bit, it's an absolute pleasure to listen to and has wonderfully deep sub-bass.